Untold Secrets: Book 2
by The Unheard Song
Summary: Now that Hollytail's kits are apprentices, they face more tasks than ever. There is an eerie prophecy revolving around three of them that they can't figure out. Meanwhile, Thrushpaw strives for perfection and Ashenpaw is dragged into Nightpaw's dreams...
1. Prologue

**Hello, all! Remember book 1 of ****Untold Secrets****? Well, since I got enough reviews, and since I finished ****Heart of Fire: Pool of Cinders Book 1****, I'm writing the second book! YAY! –dances- Well, anyways, umm…here's the prologue.**

PROLOGUE

"_Are you sure I'm doing this _right, Thornclaw?" Lightpaw asked after practicing a complicated (well, to her it was complicated) battle move. Thornclaw nodded. "I'm positive. Ashenpaw, you're doing a great job as well."

"Okay." Still unsure, Lightpaw prepared to perform the move again. She was to leap, wait for Ashenpaw to slide about halfway underneath her, grab him by the head, and flip him over onto the ground along with her, then wrestle him so she could pin him down.

"Ready?" Brackenfur asked, sitting down beside Thornclaw, his brother. "Go!"

Lightpaw sprang at Ashenpaw, who slithered under her belly like a snake. Unsheathing her claws slightly, she grabbed his head but it slipped out of her paws. Ashenpaw managed to dart out of the way before Lightpaw crashed to the ground in a dazed heap of golden-brown-striped fur.

"Are you okay?" Thornclaw asked, twitching his whiskers. Lightpaw scrambled to her paws, embarrassed. "Yeah. Can we try it the other way now?"

Brackenfur nodded. "Whenever you guys are ready, start."

Ashenpaw leaped this time. Lightpaw flexed her muscles and pressed her body against the ground as she squirmed under his belly. She could feel his black fur tickling her spine. Ashenpaw took her head in his paws, flung her over his head, and dropped her as he fell to his paws against the sand.

"Great job, Ashenpaw," Brackenfur meowed, flicking his tail. Lightpaw sighed. He _had _done a good job; better than she had even on her best try. She stood and shook the sand from her coat.

_I guess I'm just tired from meeting with Stonepaw,_ Lightpaw thought. Her gray ShadowClan friend had gone through starvation and malnourishment about a quarter moon ago. ThunderClan had lent the ShadowClan cats some of their territory, but the Clan still didn't have enough prey to last all leaf-bare. Lightpaw had hunted for ShadowClan, met up with Stonepaw's sister Shadepaw every other dawn, and given her the prey. It was against the warrior code, but Lightpaw just couldn't tolerate Stonepaw, Shadepaw, Frostpaw (his other sister), or his mother Snowbird, die because of starvation.

Lightpaw also noticed how Nightpaw _and _Ashenpaw were both incredibly skilled fighters. It was as if they were already trained, but if they were, wouldn't Thrushpaw and Lightpaw be trained as well? Ashenpaw and Nightpaw were both better than Lightpaw separately at fighting. She wished she had the amazing strength that they both had.

_Lightpaw…_

Was that the wind? A voice in her head? Lightpaw glanced around. Thornclaw and Brackenfur were chatting while Ashenpaw practiced a fighting move that she'd never seen before.

_Come…_

Come? Come where? She took a couple pawsteps forward, closer to the WindClan border.

_No…_

The wrong way. Lightpaw turned and crept past both mentors and her brother.

"Where am I going?" Lightpaw whispered, as if the wind would answer her. It ruffled her fur, rippling it forward more. Maybe that was a sign. She continued padding onwards until she reached the edge of the sandy clearing.

"Farther?" Lightpaw asked quietly. The wind picked up, almost knocking her over forward. Grumbling about why she was doing this at all, Lightpaw trekked on into the forest.

_Cave…_

"Cave?" Lightpaw echoed. She crouched down and crept a couple more pawsteps forward into the undergrowth. She could see no caves anywhere around her.

_Cave…_

"There are no caves!" Lightpaw wailed in frustration. Suddenly, she heard giggling, and Icepaw and Foxpaw padded out from behind a couple close trees. "You fell for it!"

Lightpaw growled and sprang onto Foxpaw. "You badgerbrain!" she hissed playfully as she cuffed him on the head.

"We're the badgerbrains?" Icepaw giggled. "You're the one who fell for our trick!"

"You two," Lightpaw mewed, "are the worst."

--

"Are you sure she's one of the three you want?" Cinderpelt glanced at Bluestar, who nodded. "Lightpaw, Ashenpaw, and Thrushpaw. Nightpaw…she needs to be able to communicate with Ashenpaw in their dreams. We must block Tigerstar and Hawkfrost from them!"

"Nightstar?" Bluestar turned to the thin black tom. "Who are your choices?"

Nightstar touched his nose to the pool of water, and two cats appeared. One was a gray tom and a tortoiseshell she-cat. "Good choices. Are you sure about…?" Bluestar gestured to the tortoiseshell.

Nightstar hissed. "She is an amazing fighter. She will do well on this trip."

"Tallstar, choose," Crookedstar meowed. Tallstar placed his nose against the surface of the water. This time, two cats appeared-a dark gray tabby she-cat and a pale gray tom.

Bluestar nodded. "Great. They're very strong and wise."

Crookedstar dipped his head and placed his nose against the water. "Are those…those are kits!" Nightstar stuttered.

"Yes, but by the time comes, they'll be apprentices," Crookedstar explained, his eyes shining. "You don't think they're okay?"

"They're wonderful, Crookedstar," Bluestar assured. "We'll just have the other apprentices watch out for them closer."

Tallstar nodded. "So it's done. Spottedleaf, Barkface, Runningnose, and Mudfur. Go ahead and launch the dreams."

_There will be the young and helpless, to be saved by the nine from the darkness, the storm, the breeze, and the water…and will arise to great things…_

**Sucky prophecy, I know, but bear with me. Prophecies are hard to think of, so don't complain to me that it sucks. I know it does. Well, that was kind of long for a prologue, longer than the prologue in the first book, but at least it's slightly reasonable. I think…**

**xx-Starfall-xx**


	2. Chapter One

Chapter 1 already

**Uh, sorry for the long wait. I went to my grandma's house and she doesn't have a computer, and I have a dance camp this week from 1:00 to 6:00…or maybe 12:00 to 5:00. The website says 12:00 to 5:00, but the teacher says 1:00 to 6:00. Ergh! I have no idea. P Here's chapter 1.**

CHAPTER 1

"_What in the name of StarClan _are you doing, Lightpaw?"

Lightpaw glanced up, staring at her identical sister. "Oh, Thrushpaw. I was just practicing a hunter's stalk."

Thrushpaw twitched her whiskers. "It was? It looked like you were making your dirt in a different style."

It had been about a half-moon since the four siblings had been apprenticed. Thrushpaw remembered the day when she found out that _Whitewing _was mentoring her. She sighed.

"Hey!" Lightpaw cuffed Thrushpaw on the ear with a sheathed paw. "So, how is training coming along?"

"Fine," Thrushpaw muttered. Whitewing was a lousy hunter. She missed a squirrel by a fox-length and didn't even give it a chase! That mousebrain…

Lightpaw smiled. "Mine is well. Thornclaw is really patient with me, but sometimes I get ahead of myself, he says."

Pleased yet jealous that her sister was doing so well, Thrushpaw watched Rosekit and Toadkit tumble out of the nursery. They were so carefree and relaxed. All they had to worry about was who played Firestar and who played Tigerstar in the Leader Fight game. Thrushpaw remembered that game as well as any of her siblings did. She was always chosen as Firestar, and Nightpaw was usually Tigerstar.

"They should become apprentices soon," Lightpaw remarked, breaking Thrushpaw from her memories.

"Uh…" Thrushpaw glanced over at them. They looked about four moons. "Not really. Probably about two more moons."

"Hey, Nightpaw."

Thrushpaw glanced up when Lightpaw greeted their sister. The black she-cat was padding over to them, her green eyes glowing eerily. "What's up?" Lightpaw asked.

Nightpaw shrugged. "What's up with you?"

"Not much. We're just talking about Toadkit and Rosekit, and when they become apprentices."

Nightpaw sat down and began grooming her paw. "Have you guys eaten?"

Thrushpaw and Lightpaw nodded. "I'm about to go to sleep," Thrushpaw meowed. Lightpaw nodded again. "Me too."

"Ashenpaw's already asleep," Nightpaw told them. "I think he's angry that he's the only tom apprentice."

Thrushpaw twitched her whiskers as she thought of the black tom stomping around the den, his amber eyes glowing angrily, his claws tearing into the moss in rage. Like a badger. She stifled a giggle. Ashenpaw was such a mousebrain.

--

"Hello?" Thrushpaw crouched down, her tail wrapped around her paws. "Is anyone there?" A sweet scent floated into her nostrils, and gentle pawsteps followed the scent.

"Greetings, Thrushpaw." The voice finally came. Thrushpaw gazed around wildly, trying to find the voice.

"Thrushpaw."

There it was!

A dappled pelt slipped by between the cracks of the undergrowth and a slender tortoiseshell she-cat padded into the clearing.

"Hello," Thrushpaw meowed slowly.

"Thrushpaw," the she-cat repeated. "I am Spottedleaf, ThunderClan's medicine cat before Leafpool, Cinderpelt, and Yellowfang."

"Cinderpelt?" Thrushpaw echoed. "That's…Cinderpelt is a warrior. You know that, right?"

Spottedleaf sighed and nodded. "That's another story I'm not willing to get into. I need to tell you something, Thrushpaw, and I need you to consider it."

Thrushpaw shivered. "Okay, what is it?"

"_There will be the young and helpless, to be saved by the nine from the darkness, the storm, the breeze, and the water…and will arise to great things…"_

"Wha…what?" Thrushpaw quavered. "What's that mean? What does it have to do with m-me?"

Spottedleaf was already fading. "Like I said, consider it. Meet at the island on the next new moon, and follow the river…" She completely disappeared.

"Wait! Spottedleaf!" Thrushpaw yowled. She waved her paw in the spot where Spottedleaf once was, making sure she wasn't there. "Now what am I supposed to-"

A hole opened up beneath Thrushpaw, and she slid into a random river right underneath her. Splashing and gurgling, Thrushpaw paddled to the surface, barely keeping her head above the waves. She managed to claw herself onto a small rock that could only fit about half of her body. Something was sucking at her tail and hind paws. She yowled and sank down into the murky water.

"Thrushpaw?"

"What?" Thrushpaw jumped to her paws and glanced around to see Whitewing. "Oh. What?"

"Training. Did you forget?"

"Of course not, Whitewing," Thrushpaw muttered flatly as she followed her mentor out of the apprentices' den.

Whitewing tossed a shrew to Thrushpaw, who caught it in her mouth and began to gnaw on it. "Hurry," Whitewing called.

"Hey, Thrushpaw." Ashenpaw was slumping into the clearing, his amber eyes dull. He sat down next to his sister. "I'm so sleepy. I had the strangest dream last night. It was so weird!"

Thrushpaw's heart jolted. "I did too. What was yours about?" Thrushpaw leaned in as she chewed her shrew thoughtfully.

"Well," Ashenpaw began, shuffling his paws, "it all started with this cat named…Yellowfang. She appeared to me and told me this weird…prophecy, I guess. And she told me to meet at the island at the next new moon. Then she faded and I was suddenly in a river, almost drowning. I mean, I could taste the mud and sand in it, and it was a dream! Weird, right?"

"Oh my StarClan," Thrushpaw murmured. "I had the exact same dream, except with a cat named Spottedleaf."

"Thrushpaw." Ashenpaw's voice lowered even more, and Thrushpaw had to lean in closer to hear him. "Should we go? I mean, are we the only ones out of ThunderClan that are to go?"

"I don't know," Thrushpaw admitted as she buried the shrew bones. "We only have four sunrises until the next new moon."

"Thrushpaw, Ashenpaw, let's go!" Brackenfur called. He was beside his niece, Whitewing (Brightheart is Brackenfur's sister, I believe), and standing at the camp entrance.

"I hope I can stay awake to train," Ashenpaw mumbled as he trudged through the forest. Thrushpaw murmured in agreement and glanced up through the trees. She counted two clouds in the new-leaf sky, promising rain later on in the moon. Thrushpaw sighed and her eyes trailed to her paws. She was so tired…

--

"Has everyone completed their missions?" Crookedstar asked the crowd of medicine cats-Spottedleaf, Cinderpelt, Yellowfang, Mudfur, Brambleberry, Runningnose, Pebbleheart, Thrushpelt, and Mothflight.

"Nightstar," Yellowfang called, "tonight I am to visit Stonepaw, since I took care of Ashenpaw last night."

"Right." Nightstar nodded. "What about every other cat?"

'I did's and 'Yes's echoed the cloudy clearing.

"All right, then," Tallstar meowed. "We now kick into action."

**Long chapter, yes. Sorry about that.**

**xx-Starfall-xx**


	3. Chapter Two

**Oh my God…five hours of dancing for four days -dies- Sorry for the long wait, once again. Getting ready for school starting, having sleepovers with friends, dance camp, and dealing with my mom's annoying attitude have been getting in the way of my fanfictions. Now I have dance practice every Monday for about half an hour to an hour and on Thursday for about an hour and a half.**

CHAPTER 2

"_Welcome back, young Nightpaw." Tigerstar prowled _towards the black apprentice, who was sitting tall and straight on the ground. "I don't see Ashenpaw anywhere. Where is he?"

"Tigerstar," Hawkfrost meowed, "it's like he's being blocked from us. Blocked by something, someone. Something like…StarClan."

Tigerstar hissed. "StarClan is taking over Ashenpaw's dreams!" He snarled, and Nightpaw stiffened, trying not to flinch. She curled her tail around her paws protectively.

"Mouse dung to StarClan," Hawkfrost growled. "Nightpaw is stronger than Ashenpaw. We need him to catch up to her!" He flexed his claws and sank them into the soot. Nightpaw hissed in agreement.

Hawkfrost shook his striped pelt. "All right. Ignore Ashenpaw. What should we teach Nightpaw now, Tigerstar?"

Tigerstar grinned. "Let's not do battle training today. Let's run."

"Run?" Nightpaw echoed.

"Don't talk," Tigerstar meowed. "Just run after me, and I'll tell you when to stop." He turned and darted through the dark trees.

Confused, Nightpaw dashed after him, struggling only slightly to keep up. Hawkfrost headed after her. Nightpaw could hear him panting as he ran.

Nightpaw grew tired quickly, but it looked as if Tigerstar weren't willing to stop any time soon. "Getting tired?" he called.

"No." Nightpaw didn't dare show weakness to the great leader. Drawing in a deep breath, she quickened her speed and pelted right beside him. Tigerstar pumped his muscular legs faster and harder, running ahead of the black she-cat.

Soon, Nightpaw was panting for her life. She couldn't run any farther. She took a couple more pawsteps and collapsed, her chest heaving and legs aching.

Tigerstar sat down and began grooming his paw. Hawkfrost looked only slightly tired, but he smiled and sat beside his father. "See how you grew tired so easily? We need to train you to run quicker than any WindClan cat. All cats get tired, and I expect you to when we first start training. But as we get further into the training, you'll be able to run as fast and long as Hawkfrost. You're still an apprentice, so you won't be as fast as me until maybe you're a warrior. That's okay, though."

Hawkfrost nodded the whole time Tigerstar spoke, and sat up straighter when his father mentioned his name. Nightpaw, still breathless, nodded as well in agreement. "I'll do my best, Tigerstar."

Tigerstar leaped at her, landing a mousetail away from her face. Nightpaw scrambled to her paws and stared into his amber eyes, still as she could be.

"No, you won't," he snarled. "You're going to do better than your best. You're going to do it, even if you think you're about to die. Follow my lead, and you'll be leader one day." His voice softened and his fur lay flat against his body. Nightpaw nodded weakly and swallowed. "When do we begin?"

"Tonight, of course," Tigerstar responded simply. "Rest for a couple more heartbeats and we'll start the training."

--

"Oh, Bluestar," Featherwhisker sighed. "I'm worried about Nightpaw. The Place of No Stars is taking over her dreams! We have to cut them off from her."

"But how?" Bluestar questioned the medicine cat. "We have no connection to the Place of No Stars whatsoever."

Featherwhisker shrugged. "We must, somehow. We just need to get together with the other ThunderClanners and discuss this."

--

"Get up, Nightpaw! Training time."

Nightpaw groaned and rolled to her paws. Her legs were sore and stiff and her chest was hurting, but she stumbled out of the apprentices' den, only to crash into Ashenpaw.

"Sorry," she mumbled. "Ashenpaw, where were you last night?"

Ashenpaw looked confused. "What? I was in my den."

"You know what I mean."

"Oh, with…them? I…I dunno. I had a dream with StarClan."

"You did what?" Nightpaw bristled. "We're starting something really important! You badgerbrain!"

"Look, I'm sorry!" Ashenpaw growled. "Do you think I can help what I dream about?"

Nightpaw nodded as-a-matter-of-factly. "Of course you can. Tigerstar told me that you have to focus your mind and strength on what you want to dream about. That's exactly what I do every night so I can meet with them! Don't you want to be stronger than the other apprentices?"

Ashenpaw shrugged. "I don't know. I want to be strong, but…I don't care if I'm stronger than the others."

"Well, you should," Nightpaw hissed. She swung her head around and stalked to the fresh-kill pile, leaving Ashenpaw puzzled and taken aback.

Nightpaw couldn't believe her brother. She was getting so much done training with Tigerstar and Hawkfrost. She was really far ahead in her training with Whitewing. But Ashenpaw…wanted to be normal? Didn't he want strength? Agility? _Power?_ That was what Nightpaw yearned for the most- power.

"Hurry _up, _Nightpaw," Whitewing called. Nightpaw finished gulping down her sparrow and hurried after her mentor. Whitewing was barely her mentor- it was Tigerstar and Hawkfrost doing all the training.

**Bad ending. Don't ask. I stayed up until 3 last night. So I'm really tired. Well, hope you enjoyed.**

**xx-Starfall-xx**


	4. Chapter Three

Hello, all, once again

**Hello, all, once again. I'm alive, don't worry. Chapter 3 time! **

CHAPTER 3

_A gust of humid air ruffled _Ashenpaw's black fur. It was a very hot new-leaf day; Ashenpaw knew rain was on its way because of the humidity. He sniffed the ground, trying to scent any prey. But all he could smell was rain.

"Find anything, Ashenpaw?" A voice startled him and he jumped in surprise.

"Oh, Brackenfur," Ashenpaw sighed. "It's you. No, I haven't scented anything. Have you?"

Brackenfur shook his head. "Me neither. It's too hot of a new-leaf day for any prey to be out of their nests. Let's head back to the training hollow for battle training, since we can't find any prey."

Ashenpaw nodded in agreement and followed his mentor away from the camp. The trees thinned as they approached closer to the WindClan border. Ashenpaw could soon hear the bubbling of the nearby stream. He was extremely thirsty; his mouth was dry as dead grass waving in the thick, hot breeze.

"Let's get some water before we start," Brackenfur suggested as his paws sank into the hot sand. "I don't know about you, but I could use a long drink." He padded to the stream, dipped his head, and began lapping up the water. Ashenpaw followed suit and as the first drop of cool water touched his arid mouth, he felt better and energized.

"So, what are we going to do now?" Ashenpaw asked, bounding to an empty, sandy clearing.

"Well," Brackenfur began, "you are an amazing fighter. Though you are young and haven't much battle training, I've decided to give you an advanced move to work on. It's quite difficult, but your speed and strength are high enough to master it. Let me show you." He padded behind Ashenpaw. "Now, I'm going to grab your legs with my teeth. You have to have a lot of jaw strength to be able to perform this move." He sank his teeth into Ashenpaw's hind leg.

Ashenpaw winced. "What now?"

"Then I drag you around and pin you down."

_That doesn't seem too hard,_ Ashenpaw assured himself. He suddenly felt his paws slipping from beneath him. His belly flopped against the ground and scraped the sand as he was yanked around to Brackenfur's front paws. One of them lifted off the ground and pressed against Ashenpaw's neck gently.

"It's harder than you think," Brackenfur warned as he let his apprentice up. "The opponent can always get free, spin around, and swipe his claws at your head. You have to really dig your teeth in."

Ashenpaw let his mentor's advice sink in, and he nodded hastily. "May I try?"

"Of course. Let's say that I just leapt over your head and slashed my claws along your spine, so now I'm right in front of you.

Ashenpaw grabbed Brackenfur's hind leg; sinking his fangs in as far as they could without really injuring him, and swung his head around. He only managed to drag Brackenfur to the side of him. His neck aching, he continued to try to haul Brackenfur around.

"It's okay, Ashenpaw," Brackenfur called. "Let go now. On my first try I didn't get it either. This is far more advanced than where you are in your battle training. I should've started off a little easier."

Ashenpaw dropped his mentor's leg down and stiffened. Was he going to bash Ashenpaw's head with a massive forepaw, like Tigerstar would? He loosened his muscles. This was Brackenfur, not Tigerstar or Hawkfrost!

"Good try," Brackenfur meowed, shaking his coat. He glanced at the gray sky. "We should probably get back to camp before the rain starts. We can't afford to get sick." He twitched his whiskers and began heading towards the camp. Ashenpaw jumped to his paws and raced after him.

Ashenpaw sank his teeth into a warm, juicy vole. The flavors tingled on his tongue and made him shiver with contentment.

"_I _caught that vole," Foxpaw boasted as he entered the apprentices' den. His reddish brown pelt was sopping wet and dripping onto the nests. He shook his fur, spraying rainwater all over the other apprentices.

"Foxpaw!" Thrushpaw hissed. She swiped a sheathed paw at his forepaws, causing him to stumble and collapse to the ground. Ashenpaw twitched his whiskers.

Foxpaw growled and scrambled to his paws. "Where's Icepaw?"

"Evening patrol, I think," Ashenpaw answered. "Where's Lightpaw?"

"I don't know," Thrushpaw admitted. She gazed out the den, her amber eyes sweeping the rain-soaked clearing. Ashenpaw could tell she was lying, but he stayed quiet. Why did Thrushpaw know, but Ashenpaw didn't? He glanced at Nightpaw, who was curled up in her nest and asleep. He couldn't help wondering if she knew as well. Maybe it was a she-cat thing. But he thought back to his dreams with Tigerstar and Hawkfrost. He was positive that Thrushpaw and Lightpaw didn't have a clue about _that._

"Ashenpaw, are you even listening?" Foxpaw gave Ashenpaw a sharp prod in the side.

"Huh?" Ashenpaw glanced up. "Yeah, I'm listening."

"Then what'd I just say?"

"Um…" Ashenpaw's ears burned. "Sorry, I didn't hear that last thing you said."

"Sure." Foxpaw rolled his eyes and turned back to Thrushpaw. "So, did you hunt today?" Thrushpaw shook her head.

"I caught that vole you're eating," Foxpaw repeated.

"I know. You did, um, a very nice job."

"Thanks."

Ashenpaw was soon catching on to what the two apprentices were up to. Was Foxpaw in love with Thrushpaw? He shook his head quickly. He didn't need to worry about that. For now, he needed to think about that strange dream sent to him from StarClan. The eerie prophecy floated through his mind once more. _There will be the young and helpless, to be saved by the nine from the darkness, the storm, the breeze, and the water…and will arise to great things…_

How was he to understand this strange prophecy? He grunted and flicked his ears. Perhaps he could discuss the dream with Thrushpaw again. He wondered if Nightpaw or Lightpaw had had the same dream. No, Nightpaw was too busy training with Tigerstar and Hawkfrost. Ashenpaw glanced over at Thrushpaw, who was still chatting with Foxpaw. How could he ever talk to her when she was too busy falling in love with Foxpaw? Would she have kits as an apprentice, just as Hollytail did?

**More boring, annoying questions to end a chapter. P So…yeah, see ya'll later.**

**xx-Starfall-xx**


	5. Chapter Four

Chapter 4, already

**Chapter 4, already! I'm so sad that school starts tomorrow. –pout-**

CHAPTER 4

"_Thornclaw, how many days until the _Gathering?" Lightpaw asked excitedly as they made their way back to camp. It was a humid, damp evening. Rain still hung heavily in the air, as if waiting for another chance to fall. Like an enemy crouched in a tree, waiting to attack their opponent. Yes, that was how Lightpaw liked to look at it.

"The night after tomorrow night is the Gathering," Thornclaw replied. "Your progress is coming along very well; I'm sure Firestar will consider taking you." Lightpaw beamed and held her prey up high. She'd caught a mouse, a magpie, a pigeon, and a squirrel, but some of them were still back where she'd buried them. This was more than she'd ever caught while hunting!

"Wow, you sure caught a lot for such a young apprentice," Brambleclaw commented as he padded by.

"There's more back there." Lightpaw flicked her tail towards the forest and dropped her mouse and pigeon in the pile. Thornclaw placed his vole, starling, and chaffinch on top of his apprentice's prey.

"Okay, Lightpaw," Thornclaw meowed, "I'm trusting you to go into the forest alone to fetch the rest of your prey. Come back as soon as you get it."

Lightpaw nodded hastily, turned, and darted out of the camp. The thorn tunnel looked as if it wanted to claw off her golden-brown fur, but Lightpaw stayed in the middle of the tunnel like her mother had taught her to so she wouldn't get thorns snagged in her pelt.

As soon as Lightpaw found the tree she'd buried her prey beneath, she scented ShadowClan. She was fairly close to the border, but it was stronger than it should've been.

Lightpaw crept among the ferns; her prey tucked safely in a small hole behind her, and approached the small clearing where the stream was gurgling gently, washing over pebbles and sand. She sniffed the air again. The ShadowClan scent was stronger than ever. Lightpaw peered through the ferns to see a ShadowClan cat stalking a water vole. It was Rowanclaw, along with his apprentice, Dawnpaw, and Smokefoot as well.

Lightpaw didn't know what to do. She couldn't take on three ShadowClan cats by herself, but she couldn't let them hunt on their territory and steal ThunderClan prey! She inwardly hissed because of the difficult decision, but remembered Thornclaw's words: "Your progress is coming along very well."

Maybe she _could _take them on by herself! She might've been a very young apprentice, who hadn't even reached her seventh moon, but she was a great fighter and Thornclaw had taught her well. She let out a battle caterwaul and dashed madly into the clearing, her claws unsheathed and her hind legs kicking up sand and dirt behind her. Lightpaw flung herself onto Smokefoot, who hissed and clawed at her striped fur.

Lightpaw gave another yowl of fury and pinned Smokefoot down the best she could. "Why are you hunting on ThunderClan territory?" she spat, making sure saliva sprinkled onto his unimpressed face.

"Oh, look," Rowanclaw sneered, padding over to the two tussling cats. "A little ThunderClan kit strayed onto our territory."

"I'm no kit!" Lightpaw hissed. "I'm a ThunderClan warrior apprentice, for your information, and if you couldn't even tell that I was one, then you must have bees in your brain!"

Rowanclaw growled. "Did this kit just insult me? I think it's time for her to get it. Dawnpaw, take care if her."

Dawnpaw, a tortoiseshell she-cat that Lightpaw knew was her kin, grinned and threw herself at the ThunderClan apprentice. "You're really going to get it now!" she hissed as she clawed at Lightpaw's underbelly.

Lightpaw thought quickly back to her training sessions and mock fights when someone had pinned her down. She heaved her hind legs, sending Dawnpaw about 2 foxlengths away from her. Lightpaw leaped to her paws and clamped her jaws around Dawnpaw's tail. The ShadowClan she-cat screeched and twisted around, trying to slash at Lightpaw's face. Lightpaw stayed back but held on firmly with her teeth.

Suddenly, a heavy weight piled on top of Lightpaw, crushing her and letting Dawnpaw's tail escape from her mouth. Lightpaw let out a choked squeal. She couldn't breathe; her lungs were being squashed! She gasped for air, trying to let at least a little enter her mouth. But it was no use. She would die under the weight of a ShadowClan cat. How pathetic.

"What in the-" A squeal of rage interrupted whoever's voice this was. Lightpaw started to see giant black patches float across her vision. She thrashed about, only loosing more and more air.

The weight lifted off of Lightpaw and she gasped for air, her chest heaving and legs wobbling. She saw a shiny black pelt in front of her and she glanced up, still panting. "Nightpaw?"

"You mousebrain," Nightpaw muttered. "What the fox dung were you doing, fighting a ShadowClan patrol by yourself? You must seriously have bees in your brain."

"Nightpaw, uh…" Lightpaw whimpered. Smokefoot was pouncing onto Nightpaw, claws outstretched, ready to sink them into her shoulders. Nightpaw growled, spun around, and whacked her paw against Smokefoot's nose. He rolled onto the ground, eyes watering, clutching his nose in his forepaws.

"Smokefoot!" Rowanclaw hissed. He narrowed his eyes at Nightpaw, who bristled her black fur in anger. "Come on! I'm not afraid of you!" Nightpaw growled.

Rowanclaw tackled Nightpaw to the ground in a blur of ginger and black fur, claws, and tails. "N-Nightpaw!" Lightpaw darted after her sister, but someone grasped her tail firmly with sharp teeth. Dawnpaw! Lightpaw spun around, trying to be as brave and intimidating as her sister had been. She growled and slashed her unsheathed claws down Dawnpaw's face.

Sorreltail had entered the battle a few heartbeats after Nightpaw had. She was batting at Smokefoot's head with an unsheathed paw. As Lightpaw sank her claws into Dawnpaw's shoulders, she noticed something strange. Nightpaw, an apprentice, was battling Rowanclaw, a senior warrior. Strange…

Lightpaw was suddenly caught off guard. Dawnpaw rolled onto her back, leaving Lightpaw not enough time to jump off. Her tail went first under the ShadowClan apprentice, being crushed under her tortoiseshell body. Then her legs, belly, and lastly her neck. She gasped for air, scrabbling at Dawnpaw's belly uselessly with her hind claws. But nothing seemed to work. Her own kin was crushing her.

**Um…interesting chapter, there. ' Ehehehe. Oh well. And yes, Dawnpaw IS Lightpaw's kin. Tawnypelt is her mother, who is also Brambleclaw's sister, who is Hollytail's mother…-is confused- Whatever. Hopefully I'll get another chapter up soon.**

**xx-Starfall-xx**


	6. Chapter Five

**Here's chapter 5 already. School starts tomorrow! –dies-**

CHAPTER 5

_Thrushpaw scented the air, searching for _any sign of prey. It was nighttime, and Whitewing had been teaching her to hunt in the dark. She'd wanted Thrushpaw to experience it, and not only that. The fresh-kill pile was rather low for new-leaf, but the rain and intense humidity had kept most of the prey in their nests.

Thrushpaw heard approaching pawsteps, so she turned to see her mentor. "Did you catch anything?" she asked.

"No." Thrushpaw shook her head. "This is mousebrained! All the prey is asleep, or it's too hot outside!"

Whitewing shook her head. "I caught a robin."

Thrushpaw sighed. "Nice for you. Now can we please get back to camp? I want to get enough sleep for the Gathering tomorrow night."

"What makes you so sure you're going?"

"I don't know. Maybe because I'm Firestar's kin, or because I'm coming along very well in my training. Or so you said. Why wouldn't I go?"

"Because of your attitude," Whitewing meowed firmly. Her tail bristled slightly and her ears flicked in annoyance. "I might tell Firestar that you've been too rude towards me."

"I haven't been _rude,_" Thrushpaw growled. "I'm just stating my opinion."

"You need to stop being so hotheaded!"

"I'm stating my opinion," Thrushpaw repeated, lashing her tail back and forth.

Whitewing rolled her green eyes. "Whatever. We're going back to camp now, and you're tending to the elders before you go to sleep, you hear me?"

Thrushpaw had never heard Whitewing being so strict, but she nodded and grumbled, "Fine." She turned and trudged back to camp, her head low and muttering.

--

"A few more sunrises, Bluestar," Tallstar purred, wrapping his slightly long tail neatly over his paws.

"I know," Bluestar sighed. "I just hope I chose the right cats. Maybe Nightpaw would've been better, because…" Her voice trailed off.

Tallstar licked Bluestar calmingly on the ear. "You did fine, Bluestar. They'll understand teamwork better than ever, and they'll learn about compassion towards other cats when they rescue "the young and helpless". "

"True." Bluestar rasped her tongue over her paw and swiped it over her face once. "I suppose Thunderstar knows what he's doing."

--

"What do you mean you're not going?" Ashenpaw demanded.

Thrushpaw shrugged. "Well, it's obviously not too important, or else StarClan would've sent us the same dream over and over every night."

"They didn't because they wanted us to consider the prophecy!" Ashenpaw's black fur stood on end.

"Shh!" Thrushpaw hissed. "Don't let Foxpaw hear us! Look, unless they send us more signs, I'm not even going to think once about it."

"Perhaps we should ask Jayfeather."

Thrushpaw thought about the gray tabby tom. He'd earned his medicine cat name at the last half moon and was wise as ever. But Spottedleaf had told her not to tell a soul.

"We can't," Thrushpaw answered. "Spottedleaf told me that we can't tell anyone about it."

"We need a word of wisdom, though," Ashenpaw mewed, twitching his whiskers.

Thrushpaw curled into a ball, facing her back to Ashenpaw. "I'll think about it."

After a couple of heartbeats, she added, "But chances are that I'll say no."

"Hello?" Thrushpaw called. "Spottedleaf? Spottedleaf, where are you? Spotted-" She gasped. Where was she? Thrushpaw gazed around. She was on a mountain!

"A mountain?" she squeaked in terror. She backed against the stone wall of the mountain, her heart pounding and a chilly breeze ruffling her fur. "Spottedleaf, if you're there, let me know somehow!"

Thrushpaw's paws itched to walk along the slender rock, so she began padding on. The path twisted and winded downwards towards a river. Thrushpaw could see the small hole of a cave that seemed to curve down.

"What's this?" Thrushpaw bounced off the mountain path and padded across the grass to the hole. She stuck her muzzle inside and scented the air. She could smell water, dust, rocks, and…what was that? Cat scent? No, it was softer than cat scent. Perhaps it was kit scent. She breathed in deeply, trying to get any other trace of the scent. But no, it had vanished.

Thrushpaw pulled her head out of the hole and yowled, "Spottedleaf! Please, come and help me!"

_There will be the young and helpless, to be saved by the nine from the darkness, the storm, the breeze, and the water…and will arise to great things…_

Thrushpaw shuddered. The wind was whispering the words in her ears, bringing back memories of her dream with Spottedleaf. She called the old medicine cat's name again desperately, but no one answered. She crouched against the ground, feeling wind buffet her fur. "Come on, Thrushpaw, wake up!" she whimpered. "Wake up!"

"Wake _up!"_

Thrushpaw jumped to her paws, panting and her eyes wide. "What?"

Icepaw was standing about a mousetail away from her, her blue eyes shining. "Guess what! Guess what, guess what!"

"What?" Thrushpaw repeated, calmer this time. She shivered, still feeling the icy-cold wind sweep over her and the grass tickling her paws.

"The prey has come back! It rained a lot last night!" Icepaw chirped. "Whitewing wanted me to come and wake you up. She says it's time for your first hunting assessment. This will determine whether you get to go to the Gathering."

**Not much of a cliffie, but hey, I tried. Wow, I've really updated a lot in the past…er, two days. :D Well, see ya later. I'll probably update later today again. **

**xx-Starfall-xx**


	7. Chapter Six

AUGH

**AUGH. School (schol) started. My teachers are actually very nice. My devil choir teacher moved to a different district, so we got a really nice one. Sorry for not updating in a while. I've been creating new stories on my second account. Instead of me rambling, I'll start the chapter.**

CHAPTER 6

_Nightpaw sank her claws into the _damp soot. The sun was shining brighter than ever, and she could barely see a foxlength ahead of her. She smelled…shrew. She crouched in the undergrowth, waiting for the prey to scamper across her path. As if on cue, it did. Nightpaw leapt and landed squarely on the shrew. After clawing its belly, she bit into its throat.

She lifted her head, blood dripping down her chin from the shrew. A warm scent floated to her nostrils and her mouth watered. She quickly dug it up beneath a tree, and sat down to groom her paws. She hadn't only gotten _battle_ training from Tigerstar and Hawkfrost; they'd taught her an easier way to hunt instead of stalking it. Stalking the prey gave you a better chance of stepping on a twig, or stumbling.

There were many things she would've rather been doing. She would've rather been battle training with Sorreltail and showing her how good of a fighter she was. She would've rather been sleeping, so she could visit Tigerstar and Hawkfrost and practice her running. Nightpaw didn't like hunting as much as fighting, because it was boring. Sure, cats had to eat, but hunting was the boring part, not the eating.

Yawning, Nightpaw smelled the air. More prey? She'd already caught more than any of her siblings! She had 6 pieces already, and it was only sunhigh! Oh, well. The more, the better.

--

"Almost time," Bluestar murmured.

Yellowfang sniffed. "Not exactly. Tonight is the Gathering. There's still about a quarter-moon left. Maybe we should change what time they meet…?"

Bluestar hesitated, and then meowed, "Perhaps we should. One night after the Gathering will be the time. Tonight, when they're sleeping, change it."

Spottedleaf, Yellowfang, and Cinderpelt all nodded.

"Tell the rest of the leaders and medicine cats." Bluestar licked her paw and drew it over her ear. "They'll have to be precise."

--

Nightpaw dipped her head in thanks. She'd far passed her assessment, and was able to go to the Gathering. Personally, she didn't care a mousetail about the Gathering. But Tigerstar had always said that she had to trick them into thinking she was totally loyal to StarClan, in order for her to become deputy. Nightpaw had just nodded wisely and listened to Tigerstar list some ideas. This idea, however, was her own.

"Go on, Nightpaw, and have a feast," Firestar meowed. "You deserve it, as well as your siblings. The fresh-kill pile is flooding with prey already. If the whole Clan feasts, we would still have enough prey to last through another leaf-bare!"

Nightpaw forced a chuckle. She turned and headed to the pile. It really _was_ flooded with prey! Why hadn't Nightpaw noticed before when she was putting her prey into the pile? She grabbed a mouse; she didn't want to eat a lot, or else she'd be too full to train with Tigerstar and Hawkfrost. The sun was slowly setting, casting longer shadows of cats creeping along the camp, eating and sharing tongues, giddy and carefree.

When Nightpaw was leader, this was exactly how it would be. They wouldn't have a worry in the world, because she would train them so hard that they'd never be scared of another Clan attacking them.

"All cats old enough to catch their own prey, meet beneath the Highledge for a Clan meeting!" Firestar's meeting call sounded, so Nightpaw heaved herself to her paws and padded into the crowd of cats.

"It is time for me to announce who will go to the Gathering tonight," Firestar declared. "I will be taking Sandstorm, Graystripe, Squirrelflight, Sorreltail, Spiderleg, Stormfur, Brook, Birchfall, Ashfur, Honeywhisker, Mousefoot, Lionclaw, Hollytail, and all the apprentices, since they did so well on their assessments."

_Phase one, complete._

Tigerstar.

Nightpaw quickly darted up the thorn tunnel, running faster than the other apprentices and even some warriors. She caught up to Honeywhisker and Birchfall, who were chatting ever so annoyingly about some cats in ShadowClan. Trying to avoid the young warriors, Nightpaw inched a bit closer to the side of the group.

"Hey, Nightpaw!"

No. It was Lightpaw. Groaning, Nightpaw turned and cringed. She was so loud and obnoxious! Couldn't she just stay quiet?

"Aren't you excited?" Lightpaw chirped. "This is our first Gathering! I can't wait!"

Nightpaw merely nodded and turned away. Lightpaw had always been the very loud one of the litter. Nightpaw rolled her eyes.

"Woah! Is that it?" Lightpaw exclaimed, narrowing her eyes over the lake. Sure enough, a tiny island rested upon the surface. Nightpaw inwardly snorted. It was so pathetic-looking, yet apparently so holy.

The cats soon approached the fallen log that led to the island. Nightpaw knew she could manage over quickly, so right after Brambleclaw jumped onto the tree, Nightpaw followed. She didn't have to dig her claws in at all. Her balance was so…_perfect_, that she was the first ThunderClan cat to set paw on the island that night.

The island was bigger than Nightpaw had seen as they first entered WindClan territory. The Clans' scents mingled and entwined with each other, creating a strange, misty smell. There was a huge oak tree with four large branches that hovered over the island. Four places among the roots were underneath the branches.

Nightpaw had never seen so many cats. All of them stared at her as she entered the sacred place floating atop the lake. She sniffed and holding her head high, strutted to the edge of the clearing.

"Ah! ThunderClan have arrived!" Onestar called. He jumped onto a branch of the oak tree, and his deputy Ashfoot took a place among the roots. All of the other leaders and deputies did the same. And the Gathering began.

**GEH! X.X writers block! Sorry this was such a crappy chapter, but writers block got the best of me. Stupid writers block. So, yeah…bye.**

**xx-Starfall-xx**


	8. Chapter Seven

**Hello! Sorry for the enormous wait…I've been really busy lately. I have something after school every Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Remember Brook and Stormfur leaving? Well, I didn't know that they left until I'd already continued with my story, so in Untold Secrets Brook and Stormfur stayed, okay? Also, the new warriors have different names than they do in Eclipse. On with chapter 7.**

CHAPTER 7

"_Welcome to the Gathering," Blackstar announced, _his amber eyes gleaming as he stared down upon the Clans. "I have some good news for ShadowClan. Snowbird's kits have been made apprentices-Shadepaw, Stonepaw, and Frostpaw, who is our new medicine cat apprentice."

Ashenpaw gazed over the crowd. Most cats were cheering the three apprentices' names. Would Firestar announce Ashenpaw and his siblings' names? A burst of excitement sparked in his belly.

"ShadowClan has been coming along well, although it's been quite humid for the past few sunrises," Blackstar continued. "Just yesterday our prey came back out of their holes. That is all." He dipped his head and backed away while Onestar stepped forward.

"Prey is running fine in WindClan," Onestar meowed. "We have two new warriors-Breezeclaw and Heatherwhisker, who are now mates. Also, Sedgepaw, Thistlepaw, and Swallowpaw have been made apprentices. I'm sure you all remember when those three naughty kits strayed into a cave and we had to save them."

The crowd broke into a rusty laughter. Ashenpaw suddenly panicked. What if Firestar said something like that? Ashenpaw gulped and caught a glimpse of who must be Thistlepaw, Sedgepaw, and Swallowpaw. They looked embarrassed and seemed to be forcing a giggle.

"All is well in ThunderClan," Firestar declared. His voice startled Ashenpaw. "We have four new apprentices-Lightpaw, Ashenpaw, Thrushpaw, and Nightpaw."

The Clans cheered and Ashenpaw dipped his head in pleasure, purring. "One of our queens, Millie, has had kits named Littlekit, Smokekit, and Silverkit. You all remember Millie, don't you?"

The crowd of cats murmured agreements amongst themselves. "Graystripe is her mate, of course. Our other queen, Brook, is about to have kits. We have many new warriors-Mousefoot, Hazelwhisker, Berrytail, Poppyleaf, Cinderpelt, Honeywhisker, Lionclaw, and Hollytail. Jayfeather has also earned his full medicine cat name."

All the warriors that Firestar had named (the ones who had even come to the Gathering) beamed at the praise as the Clans cheered their names.

"Prey is running quite well in RiverClan," Leopardstar announced. "Two of our kits, Sneezepaw and Mallowpaw, have been made apprentices. Willowsong has earned her full medicine cat name as well, and Dapplenose is pregnant with Pouncetail's kits. Minnowtail and Pebblefoot are warriors now. That is all."

Ashenpaw joined in with the cheering, hoping to encourage the new warriors and apprentices. When he glanced over at the great oak tree, all the leaders and deputies had vanished.

_Is the Gathering already over? _Ashenpaw wondered in awe. Was that it? The leaders spoke and then everyone started talking to each other? Ashenpaw had expected more of something so sacred, but he didn't refuse. Bundling up his courage, Ashenpaw glanced around for his siblings. Lightpaw was chatting away with two ShadowClan apprentices. Did he dare join them? He sucked in a deep breath and padded over to them.

"H-hey, guys," Ashenpaw stammered, dipping his head slightly. Lightpaw glanced up, her amber eyes gleaming with excitement. "Hey, Ashenpaw! Frostpaw, this is my brother, Ashenpaw."

Ashenpaw blushed under his dark fur and dipped his head again. "H-hi, Frostpaw." Frostpaw was really beautiful; she had snowy white fur and clear blue eyes. Ashenpaw wondered how she wasn't deaf like most blue-eyed white cats were. The other cat Lightpaw was sitting next to was a gray tom with mischievous dark blue eyes that shone in the full moonlight.

"I'm Stonepaw, Frostpaw's sister," the gray tom mewed. Frostpaw smiled at Ashenpaw shyly. "Nice to meet you."

Ashenpaw nodded. "You too. So, uh…do you guys like being apprentices?"

_Of course they do!_ Ashenpaw hissed at himself inwardly, embarrassed and annoyed with himself. Frostpaw merely nodded. "It's really nice being a medicine cat apprentice. I can't wait until the next half moon! The Moonpool is neat."

Before Ashenpaw could take another breath, Onestar called, "WindClan, let's head back to the camp."

Blackstar nodded in agreement. "Come, ShadowClan."

Stonepaw and Frostpaw rose to their paws. "Bye, Lightpaw and Ashenpaw," Frostpaw meowed, dipping her head. Stonepaw gave Lightpaw's ear hasty lick. "Bye, Lightpaw." He turned to Ashenpaw. "Bye."

"Bye," Ashenpaw echoed, flicking his tail as the two ShadowClan apprentices padded after their leader. Firestar called to his Clan, and Ashenpaw and Lightpaw stood up, shaking their pelts.

--

"It's almost time," Yellowfang meowed, licking her dark gray flank. Her voice had been restored since she'd died, and now it was smooth and did not crack.

Bluestar nodded. "Wait until they are asleep." Cinderpelt and Spottedleaf, both ready to send the messages to the three ThunderClan apprentices, sighed and sat down again.

The blue-gray leader gazed down upon the sleeping Ashenpaw. "Go ahead, Yellowfang."

Yellowfang glanced at Bluestar. "What about Stonepaw?"

Bluestar sighed. "Do you think you could hurry it up with Ashenpaw? You might be able to make it to Stonepaw in time just before he wakes up."

"I'll try." With that, Yellowfang disappeared to give the message to Ashenpaw.


	9. Chapter Eight

**Another long pause…I've had absolutely no time to type. I found this stray kitten and my family and I are keeping her at my house for a few days. My friend took her, but now Christmas break has started, so I can update more. I'm not feeling well today, so keep that in mind as you read this. **

CHAPTER 8

_Lightpaw jolted awake. Her limbs were _stiff and her paws ached, still recovering from the battle with Dawnpaw. Lightpaw had managed to scramble away just in time, before Rowanclaw started getting really furious. She yawned and tried to remember the dream she'd had last night. She was talking to Cinderpelt, and she said…to go to the island tonight?

Puzzled, Lightpaw slunk out of the apprentices' den, careful not to awake her siblings or the other apprentices, and hurried to the fresh-kill pile. The huge, puffy clouds were lined with dark gray, promising the falling of rain soon. The air was heavy and damp; Lightpaw's fur was matted in clumps from the humidity.

"It's going to rain soon," Lightpaw commented to Brightheart and Cloudtail, who had padded out of their dens and were picking a piece of prey to share. Brightheart nodded and glanced at the sky with her green eye. "I hope soon. It's been so hot lately because of the humidity in the air."

Cloudtail grabbed a finch and stared at Lightpaw. "Are you okay? You look a little…well, frazzled."

"Ah, it's nothing," Lightpaw shrugged. "I just had a strange dream."

"Do you think you should talk about it to Leafpool and Jayfeather?" Brightheart asked, looking a little concerned. Lightpaw shook her head. "Nope, it's nothing, really."

The couple nodded, turned, and headed toward the warriors' den to share the finch. Lightpaw selected a plump blackbird and padded over to the apprentices' den. Foxpaw was just crawling out of the den and looked at the blackbird hungrily. "Mind if I share?"

Lightpaw shook her head. "Come on, there's enough for both of us." She took a bite and flavors immediately seeped into her mouth. "Great StarClan, this bird is delicious!" she exclaimed, taking another huge bite.

"Hey!" Foxpaw snatched the blackbird away from Lightpaw. "Save some for me!"

After a long, awkward pause of eating and silence, Lightpaw asked, "So…what are you doing today?" Foxpaw shrugged and swallowed a mouthful. "I think Squirrelflight is taking me out hunting when she returns from the dawn patrol. You?"

"Dunno." Lightpaw thought about the island. Was she really going to journey there that night? Would Thrushpaw go with her? Questions fluttered through her like captured butterflies.

"Lightpaw," Thornclaw called from his eating spot next to Hazelwhisker. "We're going training with Sorreltail and Nightpaw. Hazelwhisker wants to come with us to see how she should train her apprentice when she gets one."

Lightpaw nodded and finished the last of her blackbird. "I'm apparently going training. Bye, Foxpaw." She stood, stretched, and waved her tail as she padded toward Thornclaw.

"Go ahead and head to the training hollow with Nightpaw and Sorreltail," Thornclaw meowed to his apprentice. "I'll be there when I finish my mouse. And I want to…uh, share tongues with Hollytail. I…haven't in a while." Lightpaw nodded and hurried to the two she-cats by the camp entrance.

"Thornclaw told me that we should go ahead without him," Lightpaw mewed. "He's finishing eating and he wants to share tongues with Hollytail." Sorreltail nodded. "Come on, Nightpaw. You two can have mock fights until he comes."

Soon, the three she-cats were at the training hollow. The sand felt soft and cool under Lightpaw's paw pads, and she purred, despite the humid, damp air.

"Hurry up, Lightpaw!" Sorreltail called. "We're about to start!" Lightpaw raced over to them and stood a few fox-lengths away from Nightpaw. Her sister didn't seem nervous about the mock fight, but Lightpaw was. Her heart pounded and her legs felt wobbly. She drew in a deep breath and shook her golden-brown coat.

"Ready?" Sorreltail asked. She sat with her tail curled over her paws, her ears twitching. The apprentices nodded hastily and tensed their muscles. "Remember to keep your claws sheathed. Ready, set…go!"

Lightpaw immediately leapt at Nightpaw, hoping to bowl into her and roll until she landed with her paw on Nightpaw's chest, but her sister darted under her, grabbed Lightpaw's head with her sheathed forepaws, and flipped her onto her back. Lightpaw felt the air being knocked out of her body as she slammed onto the sandy ground. Nightpaw placed her paw onto Lightpaw's chest with a look of triumph, and glanced at Sorreltail.

"That was a really advanced move, Nightpaw!" Sorreltail exclaimed, padding over to the two apprentices. "Where did you learn that from?"

Lightpaw could've sworn she felt her sister tense for a split second, but she shrugged and replied coolly, "I guess I just taught myself from watching the warriors in our Clan fight."

"Well, I'm very proud of you." Sorreltail nodded and flicked her tail for her apprentice to let Lightpaw up. "That was a very advanced move for your level." She turned to Lightpaw. "You did very well, Lightpaw. It looked like you had planned out what you were going to do. But remember that you must expect the unexpected."

Just as Sorreltail finished her advice, rain began to fall. It was gentle at first, but it soon strengthened to large, cold drops that splashed onto the sand. "So much for our training session," Sorreltail murmured. She rose to her paws and began hurrying towards the camp. Lightpaw stood up and quickly followed Sorreltail and Nightpaw out of the hollow.

"That was really amazing, Nightpaw!" The golden-brown tabby apprentice couldn't help but envy her sister. She was strong, swift, and brave-all the qualities of a leader. But was she loyal?

_Of course she's loyal, _Lightpaw told herself. _But how would I know? How will I ever know until I ask her? I'd never ask her, anyway. She'd get angry with me. She'd think I believed she wasn't._

Nightpaw shrugged again. "Thanks. It was really nothing."

"Can you teach me how?" Surprised at her own words, Lightpaw clamped her mouth shut. _What did I just say? _She stared at Nightpaw, wondering what she'd say next.

"Sure," Nightpaw meowed. "It's pretty hard in the beginning, but as soon as you get it for the first time, you'll have it forever. You have to have strong arm muscles."

Lightpaw nodded as she listened. She had never heard Nightpaw so interested in something before. She guessed that her sister really wanted to be a good warrior, and maybe even deputy or leader!

Suddenly, Lightpaw noticed Thornclaw and Hollytail padding out of the forest and down the thorn tunnel. They were talking, and it looked like they felt a bit awkward and embarrassed.

"Hey…where had Thornclaw been all this time?" Foxpaw asked, stepping beside Lightpaw. "I thought he was taking you training."

Lightpaw narrowed her eyes in the rain to see the two cats. "He was…supposed to." Puzzled, Lightpaw headed for them, but stopped in her tracks. Something was going on between them, and she had to find out.

An idea struck her. _Maybe…Brackenfur isn't my father, after all…_

**Well! This is actually a cliffie, so I'm quite pleased. I finally updated! Thank you, Christmas break! I will hopefully update at least once more during this next week, so stay tuned. Okay, now I sound like a cheesy TV commercial. -.-**

**xx-Starfall-xx**


	10. Chapter Nine

CHAPTER 9

"_But…you have to come!"_ _Ashenpaw's_ eyes were pleading and his tail twitched nervously. He lay in his nest while the rain poured down outside.

Thrushpaw licked her paw and swiped it over her face. "I don't have to do anything I don't want to do," she argued defiantly. "Why are you so intent on doing this? It's just a stupid dream. It doesn't mean anything."

Ashenpaw bristled. "Yes, it does! If it's a prophecy from StarClan, it more than definitely means something! You just don't want to make the journey! You're just _lazy!" _Ashenpaw spat out the last word as if he were saying "dirt".

"What journey?" Lightpaw stepped into the apprentices' den, her fur sopping wet. Thrushpaw jumped with a start, her heart pounding. "Lightpaw! What are you doing here? I thought you were out training with Thornclaw."

"I was supposed to be," Lightpaw muttered bitterly, "but he never came. He told Sorreltail, Nightpaw, and me to go ahead and just have a few mock fights at the training hollow while he finished eating and sharing tongues with Hollytail. Well, guess what? It started raining, so we came back and I saw him coming out of the forest with Hollytail as if he'd been there all along!"

Ashenpaw twitched his nose. "Strange. I wonder what they were doing."

"So what journey were you guys talking about?" Lightpaw asked.

Thrushpaw and Ashenpaw exchanged glances. "Um…nothing. We mean…uh…" Ashenpaw stuttered. Thrushpaw thought quickly to back his brother up. "We were talking about a weird dream that I had." They couldn't let any cat know about the prophetic dream they'd had.

"Are you sure?" Lightpaw looked suspicious, and Thrushpaw swallowed and nodded. Lightpaw shrugged. "Fine." She sighed and rolled onto her side, stretching out in her mossy nest. "I've got nothing to do. Stupid rain. Stupid Thornclaw."

"He's not-" Ashenpaw started to protest, but Thrushpaw swiped her tail over his mouth. "Let's go somewhere and talk about this dumb dream we had," she whispered, "and I'll decide if I'm going or not."

Ducking their heads in the rain, the two siblings darted out from the apprentices' den and made their way to the edge of the stone wall that surrounded the camp. "Look, what's so important about this dream?" Thrushpaw demanded. "What if it's just a dream that means nothing? When and if we even do go to the island, there will be no cat there. It's just a dream. It's not from StarClan."

Ashenpaw hissed. "It doesn't hurt to try!"

"We'll get in huge trouble with Firestar if we go; don't you see that?"

"We'll get in trouble with StarClan if we don't go!"

"StarClan can't do anything to us!"

Ashenpaw gasped and Thrushpaw flicked her ears in annoyance. Why was her brother making such a huge deal over one silly dream? "I'm not going," she muttered defiantly, turning away from the black tom.

"Fine." Ashenpaw let his fur lie flat. "Ignore StarClan, for all I care! But when the apprentices of the other Clans think of you as a weak, lazy hedgehog, don't come crying to me nor StarClan."

Thrushpaw stopped in her tracks. Was Ashenpaw right? Her brother continued, "And I'll look like the hero when I return, because I made it all the way to where I was destined to go and back safely. You'll look like a weak coward."

Thrushpaw spun around, her golden-brown-striped fur prickling. _He _is _right!_ She thought, hot with fury at her own hotheadedness. "Okay, okay! You win! I'll go," she cried.

Before Ashenpaw could say anything, a thin wail split the rhythmic pattering of the rain on the ground and echoed amongst the rock walls. Thrushpaw bristled and, hackles raised, raced back into the clearing, where cats were streaming groggily out of their dens in confusion. "What was that?" Hazelwhisker demanded. "Is there an ambush?"

Leafpool dashed out of her den, followed by Jaypaw, her eyes wide. Daisy bounded out of the nursery and meowed frantically, "Brook's kits are coming!"

Stormfur gasped and leapt towards the nursery to make sure his mate was all right. "Stay out," Jaypaw mewed sternly but calmly as Leafpool fetched some herbs from her den.

Firestar soon appeared out of his den, his ears swiveling. "What is happening?"

Cinderpelt glanced at her leader. "Brook is having her kits!" She sounded very excited. Graystripe just hissed playfully. "So I'm going to be a grandfather?"

"I hope Brook and her kits will be all right," Ashenpaw murmured, padding over to the other apprentices. Icepaw nodded. "I'm sure they'll be fine."

Thrushpaw headed back into the apprentices' den, cold from the rain splattering against her fur, and lay down in her warm nest. Nightpaw was there too, asleep. _How can she sleep through all this noise? _Thrushpaw wondered, resting her chin on her paws. She sighed. _Am I really going to go on a journey to the island tonight? What are Ashenpaw and I supposed to save, anyway? I'm so confused. StarClan, give me some answers here. Please._

"How many?" Excited voices outside the den startled Thrushpaw out of her thoughts. She scrambled to her paws and headed out of the den. "She's had three kits-two toms and a she-cat," Jaypaw replied. The blind gray medicine cat was standing outside of the nursery, guarding it from any cats that should try to get in. "Stormfur, you can go ahead and come in."

The dark gray tom pushed his way through the crowd of ThunderClan cats and entered the nursery, his tail tip disappearing behind a bramble. Thrushpaw could hear the mewling of the tiny newborn kits and her heart expanded. _I hope I can have kits someday…_

"I want to see the kits!" Lightpaw complained, bouncing a bit, apparently not being bothered by the hardened rain. Ashenpaw led her into the apprentices' den. "Come on. Let's not get wet."

Thrushpaw was about to follow them when she heard a voice meow, "Thrushpaw!" She turned to see Spiderleg hurrying towards her, followed by Honeywhisker and Berrytail. "Evening patrol."

Thrushpaw held in a groan as she followed the warriors through the thorn tunnel and out of the camp. Spiderleg was at the head of the patrol, followed by Honeywhisker and Thrushpaw, and Berrytail padded alone at the rear.

"How come you're not walking with Berrytail?" Thrushpaw jeered, half wondering and half amused. Honeywhisker shrugged. "I realized that he's definitely not worth it. But…I know who the right tom is for me."

"Who?" Thrushpaw asked, her mind reeling with names of toms without mates. "Birchfall? Lionclaw?"

Honeywhisker shook her head. "You'll see. Just wait. We're planning on having kits."

**Ooooh, who could this mysterious tom be? I know! Well…that was chapter 9, as you can see. ._. I hope you enjoyed it. Adios! **

**xx-Starfall-xx**


	11. Chapter Ten

CHAPTER 10

"_Welcome back, Nightpaw," Tigerstar greeted in_ his deep voice, prowling back and forth. Nightpaw felt energy surging through her and her paws itched to race through the forest after them like they'd done twice before, so she could show them how fast she really could be with so much energy. Yet she forced herself to keep cool and calm by digging her claws into the dry soot.

"Thank you, Tigerstar. It's great to be back." Nightpaw chose her words carefully and strained to keep her voice from trembling with excitement. "Will we be running today? I've been practicing." She flexed her muscles.

Tigerstar's amber eyes glinted. "Perhaps when we finish training. I want you to fight this apprentice as hard as you can." At first Nightpaw was puzzled, but the undergrowth parted as a dark tabby tom prowled forward. He was an exact copy of Tigerstar, except smaller. "This is Tigerpaw of ShadowClan," Tigerstar introduced.

Tigerpaw sat down beside Tigerstar. "He is my grandkit," the great leader went on. "Tawnypelt's son."

"He's my kin?" Nightpaw inquired. She felt her whiskers quivering with anticipation. "Pleased to meet you, Tigerpaw. I am Nightpaw of ThunderClan." She hoped she looked menacing and strong.

"Tigerpaw and his siblings are about ready to become warriors, but he has never trained with Hawkfrost and me," Tigerstar explained. "So I want to see if the training I am giving you is paying off. Go ahead." He motioned his tail to a circular clearing with undergrowth surrounding it.

Nightpaw and Tigerpaw stepped through the undergrowth and prepared themselves. Nightpaw quickly felt a rush of adrenaline, and grinned. "I'm ready, Tigerstar."

"Go," Tigerstar meowed simply, and Tigerpaw leapt forward. Nightpaw's mind snapped into action and she slithered under the tabby, grabbing his head with her front paws and flipping him onto his back. She placed a paw onto his neck, and relaxed when he went limp. "So, how did I-" Suddenly, Tigerpaw heaved himself upward and slashed his claws at Nightpaw, missing her face by a mousetail.

Nightpaw readied herself again and sprang at him, using all the strength in her hind legs to push herself at Tigerpaw. Her paws connected with his broad shoulders, and she pushed him to the ground. Puffs of dust sprayed around his body, coating both their pelts with brown. Nightpaw resisted the urge to cough as she finally pinned the struggling tom down.

"Finish." Tigerstar's strong, loud voice caused the apprentices to gaze up at him. "You both did very well. I am very pleased with how your training is coming along, Nightpaw, but you need to expect the unexpected." Nightpaw knew he was talking about when Tigerpaw leapt at her the first time she'd pinned him down. She dipped her head and stepped off of the much larger apprentice, panting.

"Tigerpaw." Tigerstar turned to him. "You are almost a warrior, yet you cannot even fight a young apprentice such as Nightpaw. You need practice. Training with Hawkfrost and me. Nightpaw can help you."

Honored, Nightpaw nodded.

"Now we will run." Tigerstar's eyes glinted as he turned and dashed into the dark forest. Nightpaw raced after him, energy bursting through her. Tigerpaw gasped and followed.

"Nightpaw!"

The black she-cat opened her eyes, feeling her heart pounding and legs aching. Foxpaw hovered over her. "You're kicking my nest like a badger!"

"Sorry." Nightpaw flattened her ears and narrowed her eyes.

Foxpaw shook his red pelt. "Firestar has called a meeting." Nightpaw rose to her paws and followed him out of the den. The sun was just creeping over the tops of the trees.

"These two kits have reached their sixth moon and it is time for them to be apprenticed," Firestar announced. "Rosekit, Toadkit, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

"I do!" they both meowed in unison.

"Then by the powers of the StarClan I give you your apprentice names. Toadkit, from this moment until you earn your warrior name, you will be known as Toadpaw." Firestar turned to the young black and white tom. "Cloudtail, you did a fine job mentoring Cinderpelt, and it is time for your second apprentice. Please pass on all you know to this apprentice."

The fluffy white tom bounced onto the rocks, touched noses with Toadpaw, and hurried off.

"Rosekit, from this moment until you earn your warrior name, you will be known as Rosepaw." The cream-colored she-cat was ready to burst with excitement, Nightpaw could tell.

"Stormfur, you have proven yourself a worthy, loyal ThunderClan warrior," Firestar meowed. "I think you are the best choice for Rosepaw. Please pass all you know onto this apprentice."

Stormfur, looking surprised, touched noses with Rosepaw and led her back down the rocks. "Foxpaw and Icepaw are also ready to become warriors," Firestar proclaimed.

Foxpaw and Icepaw leapt to their paws and darted up the rocks to stand beside the great leader. They had been apprentices for seven moons; Nightpaw knew that it was time for their warriorship.

"Foxpaw, Icepaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?" Firestar asked.

"I do."

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior names. Foxpaw, from this moment, you will be known as Foxtail. StarClan honors your loyalty and courage, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan." Firestar rested his chin on Foxtail's head and let the warrior lick his shoulder with respect.

"Icepaw, from this moment, you will be known as Icewhisker," the flame-colored leader pronounced. "StarClan honors your intelligence and kind-heartedness, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan." Icewhisker licked Firestar's shoulder and headed off the Highledge with her brother.

"Toadpaw! Rosepaw! Foxtail! Icewhisker!" ThunderClan's cheers rose up to Silverpelt, where all StarClan warriors could hear them.

As Nightpaw gazed over the cats, she noticed something-Lightpaw, Thrushpaw, and Ashenpaw were missing from the crowd.

**Gasp! They're missing! Where are they? I think everyone knows. Er, at least, I hope. This was kind of a filler chapter. I was expecting on making one of the journeying apprentices' POV chapter, but when I found that Nightpaw came next, I was a little disappointed. Well, at least something happened. Some kits were made apprentices, some apprentices were made warriors, and Nightpaw meets Tigerpaw. Whoop-de-frickin-do. I hope you actually somewhat enjoyed this crappy chapter.**

**xx-Starfall-xx**


	12. Chapter Eleven

**I'm already updating! =D This chapter takes place really before chapter 10. It's during the night when Nightpaw was sleeping and dreaming with Tigerstar and Tigerpaw. **

CHAPTER 11

"_Mousedung!" Ashenpaw hissed as he stumbled _over a large branch. His paw ached and he gave it a few swift licks. Thrushpaw turned back to him. "Hurry up, or the others will be wondering where we are! And keep quiet, too. We're getting close to WindClan. We don't want to attract any attention to ourselves."

"Sorry." Ashenpaw placed his paw back onto the ground and continued hurrying through the pitch-black forest. "What if Nightpaw and Lightpaw wonder where we are? What if they become warriors while we're gone, and we'll come back still being apprentices, and they'll be warriors?"

"Stop worrying!" Thrushpaw hissed. "They won't become warriors while we're away. Now calm down and _keep quiet!"_

Ashenpaw fell silent, but his mind reeled at what Firestar would do when he found out that he and his sister were missing. He might raid the other Clans to see if they captured them! He shivered as a cold wind blew over the forest. The leaves rippled in the gust and the sky was dark with no moon.

Soon the ThunderClan apprentices approached the stream. "What are we going to do?" Ashenpaw asked. "It's far too cold to swim across!"

Thrushpaw gazed over the stream on either side of her. "There's a rock. We can jump onto it and into WindClan territory!"

"I'll go first," Thrushpaw offered when they reached the rock. She bundled up her hind legs and pounced onto the rock, barely missing it. She leapt again, and landed into the sand.

Heart thudding, Ashenpaw used all his strength and landed on top of the rock. Once he reached it, he jumped again, planting his paws firmly onto the ground.

"Remember, keep close to the lake," Ashenpaw warned. "It's just like the Gathering." He inched closer to the shore. The sand was wet and pebbles crunched beneath his paws.

Finally the island came into view. Ashenpaw sprang onto the tree trunk and crossed it after Thrushpaw. They entered the clearing where the cats gathered during the time of peace. Ashenpaw narrowed his eyes to see in the dark. Three silhouettes sat huddling together across the clearing.

"Greetings," Ashenpaw meowed. "I am Ashenpaw of ThunderClan, and this is my sister, Thrushpaw."

The cats broke apart, and Ashenpaw noticed how small they were. "I'm Beetlepaw of RiverClan," a longhaired black tom introduced. A black and white tom stepped forward. "I'm Grasspaw, Beetlepaw's brother, and this is our sister Petalpaw." A smaller white she-cat stared at her paws and waved her tail slightly at the two apprentices.

"Did you guys have the dream too?" Thrushpaw inquired. Ashenpaw knew Thrushpaw wasn't expecting any other cats to be there because of the way she'd agreed to travel with him.

"Yes," Grasspaw answered. "We just became apprentices a quarter moon ago."

"Congratulations," Ashenpaw mewed. "Are there any other cats here?"

Grasspaw shook his head. "Not yet, but they'll be here soon. I wonder why WindClan aren't here yet. They should be here by now."

"We are here." A voice behind them startled Ashenpaw and he spun around to see two cats padding toward them. They were bigger than Ashenpaw and Thrushpaw. One was a pale gray tom and the other a dark gray tabby she-cat.

"I'm Thistlepaw," the gray tabby she-cat introduced. "Of WindClan."

The pale gray tom sat and licked his paw. "I'm Sedgepaw."

The other cats introduced themselves once again, right before two more cats appeared. "We heard everything," a gray tom meowed. "I'm Stonepaw."

"I'm Dawnpaw," a tortoiseshell she-cat meowed. She was rather large, and looked like a warrior.

"So…is this it?" Ashenpaw asked. "Should we leave now?"

Thistlepaw nodded slowly. "I guess so. Mothflight told me to follow the river. But what river did she mean?" All the cats glanced around, but nothing was to be found.

"The only source of water here is the lake," Dawnpaw grumbled. "What're we supposed to do now?"

"Maybe they mean the river in RiverClan territory!" Grasspaw pointed out, his dark blue eyes gleaming with intelligence. "So maybe we should head toward RiverClan and follow the river."

The rest of the apprentices nodded in agreement and hurried across the fallen tree towards RiverClan territory. Ashenpaw could taste the salty, watery scent of RiverClan as soon as they crossed the border. After passing a few trees, they reached the bubbling river. Grasspaw scented the air. "No patrol has been here recently. Let's hurry."

Thunder rumbled in the deep, black sky and Ashenpaw jumped. He prayed to StarClan that there wouldn't be a thunderstorm while they traveled. The cats followed the river away from the lake, and Ashenpaw couldn't help feeling a pang of homesickness. He would miss sleeping in his own den and feeling his denmates curled up beside him. He would miss going training with Brackenfur and hunting with his littermates. He would miss watching kits tumble around in front of the nursery. Sighing, he slowed his pace.

"Come on, Ashenpaw," Thrushpaw meowed. "Keep up."

Suddenly, a small wail was heard behind the group. The apprentices stopped and turned around to see a figure galloping toward them. "Who is that?" Stonepaw asked, his blue eyes wide with alarm.

"A RiverClan patrol?" Sedgepaw hissed. "We need to hide!"

"There's no use," Grasspaw sighed. "They've already caught us." But as the cat neared closer, Ashenpaw realized that there was only one cat, and not a whole patrol. The cat was unusually small.

"That's not RiverClan scent," Beetlepaw meowed, sniffing the damp air. "I think it's ThunderClan scent!"

Puzzled, Ashenpaw narrowed his eyes, straining his eyes to see who it was. "Thrushpaw!" he gasped to his sister. "I think it's-"

"Hey, wait up!" A golden-brown tabby she-cat loped toward the group of apprentices. "Sorry I'm late! Why'd ya leave me?"

"We, uh…" Thistlepaw glanced around at the other cats.

"Stonepaw, are you in this prophecy, too?" the she-cat asked. Stonepaw looked shocked. "Yeah, um…"

Thrushpaw sniffed the she-cat. "Lightpaw?!"

**Ooh, cliffie. The quest begins! I'm glad I updated twice today. =D I'm 'onna roll. Well, good-bye.**

**xx-Starfall-xx**


	13. Chapter Twelve

CHAPTER 12

"_Lightpaw?!" Thrushpaw gasped. Lightpaw took a _step back and stared at her sister and brother. "Thrushpaw and Ashenpaw? Are you guys part of the prophecy?"

Ashenpaw nodded, his amber eyes wide with shock and astonishment. Lightpaw bounced giddily. "That's awesome! We can go on the quest together! This'll be so fun-"

"Shh!" a longhaired back tom hissed, his yellow-gray eyes narrowed. "Keep quiet, or else a RiverClan patrol might hear us! We need to keep going."

"Did you have the dream?" Stonepaw asked Lightpaw, nuzzling her. Lightpaw purred. "Yep! I can't believe I get to go with you! If only Frostpaw and Shadepaw were here too. Then it'd be _really_ fun!" She turned to the rest of the cats. "So, who are all of you guys?"

A pale gray tom sighed. "I'm Sedgepaw and that's Thistlepaw." He flicked his tail at a dark gray tabby she-cat. They both smelled of WindClan.

"I'm Grasspaw," a black and white tom meowed. He was small, along with the longhaired black tom and an even smaller white she-cat. "That's my brother, Beetlepaw and my sister Petalpaw." He motioned to the two cats who sat beside him. They were of RiverClan.

"I'm Dawnpaw," a tortoiseshell she-cat meowed. She looked big and about ready to become a warrior. "Of ShadowClan. But you already know me from that little run-in."

Lightpaw thought back to when she'd caught a ShadowClan patrol hunting on ThunderClan territory, and sank her claws into the ground. "I'm Lightpaw. Nice to meet you all."

"Now can we get going?" Beetlepaw growled. "By the time we're out of RiverClan territory, it'll already be sunhigh!"

Grasspaw nodded and began leading the cats out of his Clan's territory. Lightpaw couldn't help but gaze around in wonder and awe. RiverClan territory was so much more different than ThunderClan! She wished she were back in the forest with all the oak trees hovering over her like protective shields, instead of the long, wet grassy reeds and a few trees dotting the field.

"Are we almost out of RiverClan territory?" Lightpaw muttered to Petalpaw. The small white she-cat swallowed and tensed, but didn't respond. Lightpaw wondered if she was just shy, didn't like ThunderClan, or something else. "Hey," Lightpaw hissed. Petalpaw tensed even harder and scooted away from her.

Lightpaw growled and sank her claws into the grass. What was wrong with this she-cat? Lightpaw would've liked to claw off her ears, but she couldn't help feeling sorry for Petalpaw. She was hunched over and looking quite scared and lonely. Lightpaw thought quickly and stepped beside Petalpaw, brushing her golden-brown-striped pelt against the younger apprentices' white one.

Petalpaw glanced up at Lightpaw in surprise. _There we go! _Lightpaw thought. "Hi."

"Y-you…" Petalpaw stammered. "Y-you're actually talking t-to me?"

Lightpaw nodded. "Yeah. I'm Lightpaw. Is there anything wrong?"

Petalpaw hastily shook her head. "I'm just…no…I'm fine. It's just…"

"Shh!" Dawnpaw turned and hissed at the two she-cats. "Do you know how loud you're talking? The cats in the RiverClan camp can probably hear you blabbing!"

Petalpaw looked taken aback, but Lightpaw growled, "You're not so quiet yourself."

Dawnpaw muttered something under her breath and turned back around. Lightpaw triumphantly stuck her tongue out at the older tortoiseshell she-cat. "How do you do that?" Petalpaw asked in awe.

"You just have to have a lot of courage and guts," Lightpaw advised. "You shouldn't be taken aback by such a big furball such as her." Lightpaw motioned to Dawnpaw, who flicked her ears as though she could hear Lightpaw. "She's no fun."

After a while, the moon was high in the black, night sky. "It's already moonhigh," Ashenpaw noted.

Lightpaw yawned. She hadn't gotten any sleep and traveling made her even more exhausted. "Can't we rest?"

"We need to make it out of RiverClan territory before dawn," Grasspaw told her. Thistlepaw groaned. "Come on, Grasspaw. We're almost there. Can't we just rest? I'm sure RiverClan patrols don't go this far."

Grasspaw sighed and nodded. "I guess."

Lightpaw flopped onto her belly, yawning again. "I'm exhausted." Thrushpaw curled up beside her. "Me, too."

Suddenly, Lightpaw picked up a strange, faint scent. "What is that smell?" she demanded, curling her lip. "It smells so dirty and sour!" She wrinkled her nose.

Ashenpaw lifted his head and tasted the air. "I have no idea." His amber eyes were wide with alarm and confusion. He turned to Stonepaw. "Do you know what it is?"

The gray tom sniffed. "I think it's…I don't know. It's too faint for me to tell. Should we go ahead and track it? It could be a threat to us."

Beetlepaw shrugged. "Nah. I'm too tired. We can track it in the morning if it's still there. For now, let's get some sleep." He buried his muzzle in his paws and closed his eyes, breathing deeply, his fluffy black tail twitching.

Closing her eyes, Lightpaw rested her chin on her paws and just as she was beginning to fall asleep, she jolted awake by a low growl. All the apprentices pricked their ears and lifted their heads. "What is that?" Sedgepaw hissed. "We're not going to be able to sleep if it keeps waking us up."

The scent was stronger now, but Lightpaw still didn't recognize it. There was another low growl, accompanied by two other snarls. Lightpaw felt her neck fur prickling with curiosity and anxiety. "What if it's a fox?" she whispered to Thrushpaw.

Dawnpaw suddenly leapt to her paws. "I know that scent!" Her green eyes were wide open and glazed with fear and urgency. Stonepaw jumped up, his gray fur bristling. "It's dog!"

As if on cue, three huge, snarling dogs sprang out of the undergrowth, large teeth bared and their muscles flexed. The ten cats were trapped.

**Well, this was a rather short chapter. But at least I have a cliffie, so it's all pretty okay. Thanks for reading!**

**xx-Starfall-xx**


	14. Chapter Thirteen

**God, I have **_**not**_** been on the roll when it comes to updating. I'm trying, I promise!**

CHAPTER 13

"_Run!" Dawnpaw screeched. Thrushpaw turned and _darted out between two of the dogs with Sedgepaw and Beetlepaw close at her heels. Her heart racing, she headed toward the Thunderpath. She could hear a dog's jaws snapping and heavy paws thudding against the grass. Thrushpaw smelled fear coming off of the two cats scampering behind her. She gave a yowl of terror and ran faster than she felt her legs could carry her.

"There's a Twoleg den!" Sedgepaw gasped. "Maybe the dogs belong to them! We could run past them and maybe they'll wake up and call the dogs back in!"

"It's worth a try!" Thrushpaw agreed, praying to StarClan that the plan would work. She let out another yowl and led the cats toward the Twoleg den. She glanced at the hole in the wall that seemed to lead to the inside of the den. _Please, hear us!_

Beetlepaw and Sedgepaw shrieked and yowled behind her, which only made the thick, golden-furred dog bark even louder. Dust sprayed from the cats' paws, and Thrushpaw's claws tore at the grass as she raced for her life.

Suddenly, the barking stopped, only to be ebbed into whimpers of protest. Thrushpaw halted and turned, gasping for breath. A Twoleg in a long piece of pink cloth had grabbed the golden-furred dog by the collar and was now dragging it toward the den.

"Yes!" Beetlepaw panted. Thrushpaw glanced at Sedgepaw. "Great idea, Sedgepaw." The pale gray tom ducked his head in embarrassment.

"Let's find the others." Thrushpaw felt pangs of fear for her brother and sister. Were they being torn apart this very heartbeat? She began to run in the way the cats had come from. She could still hear howling and wailing. "They're being attacked!" she gasped. She dashed as fast as she could toward the yowling.

"There they are!" Thrushpaw could see Lightpaw, Thistlepaw, Petalpaw, and Stonepaw huddled in a small bundle. In front of them was a snarling black and white dog. It looked even more vicious than the one that had chased Thrushpaw.

"Thistlepaw!" Sedgepaw whimpered. Suddenly, he gathered up his haunches and pounced, claws outstretched, onto the dog's back. It gave a bark of surprise and anger, and turned wildly, trying to snap its jaws at the cat on its back. Thrushpaw and Beetlepaw darted forward between the dog and the terrified apprentices, and yowled, "Go! Run!"

Thrushpaw waited for all the apprentices to dash past her, but Thistlepaw seemed to be preparing to leap onto the dog. "Thistlepaw!" Sedgepaw gasped as he battered at the dog's ears with his front claws. "No! Run!"

"No way! You're my brother!" Thistlepaw sprang at the dog's legs, its jaws just barely missing her long, thin tail. She weaved between its clumsy paws, trying to trip it. The plan worked. The dog fell to the ground, its ears raked with long claw marks but not bleeding, and whimpered. Thrushpaw turned and followed Thistlepaw and Sedgepaw quickly and blindly through the darkness. The cats stopped at the base of a tree, gasping and panting, their fur sticking out in every which way.

"What about the others?" Stonepaw asked. "Where have they gone?"

"We're here." An exasperated voice interrupted the cats' thoughts. Dawnpaw and Ashenpaw stood before the cats. They both looked tired and weary, their eyes dull but wide in alarm.

"Is any cat missing?" Dawnpaw asked, panting. The apprentices glanced around. "Grasspaw!" Petalpaw suddenly squealed. It was the first time Thrushpaw heard Petalpaw's voice.

"Where could he be?" Beetlepaw's voice shook with fear for his brother. Thrushpaw imagined the young black and white tomcat being torn apart by a huge black dog. "I'm sure he's fine." Thrushpaw wasn't convinced by her own words, though.

"We've got to look for him!" Thistlepaw meowed. "But we can't split up. We can't afford loosing another cat."

"You're right," Dawnpaw agreed. "We need to stay together. And be quiet, in case the dogs hear us and come back." The nine cats began hurrying through the long grasses, passing the occasional tree, until Beetlepaw exclaimed, "Petalpaw scents something!"

"What is it?" Dawnpaw rushed over to the small white she-cat. Petalpaw lifted her head. "Grasspaw was here!"

"Follow the scent, Petalpaw!" Beetlepaw urged. Petalpaw lowered her muzzle to the ground, inhaling deeply, and began to pad past a group of undergrowth. She led them into the brush a couple times, weaving in and out of them, but finally she stopped.

"What's wrong?" Beetlepaw asked.

"It's gone." Petalpaw stared sadly at her paws. "The scent is gone."

"No!" Beetlepaw whimpered. "It can't be! Grasspaw couldn't just disappear!" His dark blue eyes were wide and filled with desperation and sorrow. "Keep trying to scent him!"

Petalpaw began padding in a circle, sniffing everything in sight (which was just the few bushes and a tree), but didn't scent anything. "He's gone."

Thrushpaw sighed. Great. It was just the beginning of their journey and one cat was gone. How long would it be before she was gone? Or Lightpaw or Ashenpaw? She shuddered and tried to imagine the thought of one of her siblings missing, not knowing where they were and never seeing them again. Living with the burden that they were most likely dead.

"Let's keep going," Stonepaw meowed. "We'll probably find him in a little bit. We need to get away from any place the dogs could still be."

--

"I still have a bad feeling about this." A white she-cat with black-spotted fur sat beside a tortoiseshell she-cat, her tail-tip flicking restlessly. Her bright pink nose twitched in anxiety. "Do you think Crookedstar made a right choice choosing these apprentices, Dapplepelt?"

The tortoiseshell she-cat sighed. "He wouldn't choose such young and immature cats for no reason, would he?"

"I still don't understand why. I mean, why couldn't he pick Sneezepaw or Mallowpaw? The chosen cats just became apprentices, what, a half a moon ago? I don't understand why…"

"He must've had a reason to pick them." Dapplepelt looked only half-confident in what she was saying, as if she were assuring herself rather than her friend. "There must be a reason. Hopefully, the RiverClan apprentices will prove that soon."

**Wow, actually a cliffie for once! –grins- **

**xx-Starfall-xx**


	15. Chapter Fourteen

**Wow, I'm actually updating again! Filler chapter warning.**

CHAPTER 14

_The morning sun beamed against black _eyelids as Ashenpaw slowly awoke, finding himself between Thrushpaw and Lightpaw. The scent of RiverClan territory hung lightly in the air now; the apprentices (minus one, because Grasspaw was still missing) had made it out of the territory before night fell. They'd passed a large Thunderpath that crossed over the river like a bridge, and luckily, since it was nighttime, no monsters had been roaming about.

Ashenpaw stood and stretched, yawning and blinking in the morning sunlight. He noticed Thistlepaw rising from beside her brother Sedgepaw and hurried over to speak to her.

"Good morning, Thistlepaw."

"Morning, Ashenpaw. I'm starved."

"Same here." Ashenpaw hadn't eaten anything since he'd left the camp the previous night and hunger clawed at his belly. "Perhaps we could go out to hunt for everyone. They'll be pleased."

"If we can even find any prey around here." Thistlepaw squinted her eyes against the bright sunlight and gazed around. Ashenpaw couldn't scent prey either; only the very faint scent of water vole. An idea struck him. "Maybe we could ask Beetlepaw or Petalpaw to teach us how to fish."

Thistlepaw wrinkled her nose. "I've never tried fish."

"I haven't either."

"Beetlepaw and Petalpaw are out with Stonepaw looking for Grasspaw."

"Oh."

The cats were silent for a moment, bathing in the sunlight and chirping of the birds. Finally Thistlepaw broke the silence. "You're Hollytail's kit, aren't you?"

Ashenpaw was nearly thrown off balance with shock. "What?"

"Hollytail. She saved Sedgepaw, Swallowpaw, and me from the cave when we were kits."

Ashenpaw stared at the dark gray tabby, her dark blue eyes filled with sudden fear and sadness. He sat down beside her and licked her on the ear, hoping it'd be okay to do so. Thistlepaw glanced up at him. Her eyes were refreshed with gratitude and hope.

"It's just the past." Ashenpaw chose his words carefully. "You can't be afraid of the past."

Before Thistlepaw could say anything, Lightpaw and Thrushpaw rose to their paws, yawning. "Hey, Ashenpaw and Thistlepaw," Lightpaw greeted, shaking her golden-brown tabby coat. "Is there any sign of Grasspaw yet?"

Ashenpaw shrugged. "Thistlepaw and I are going hunting."

"Can I come along?" Lightpaw asked, bouncing, her green eyes wide.

Ashenpaw and Thistlepaw exchanged glances. "Um…I guess," Thistlepaw meowed carefully. "But we…yes, okay, you can come."

Lightpaw smiled. "Great! Let's go!"

"Tell the others that we went hunting," Ashenpaw told Thrushpaw, who had been standing nearby listening and grooming her fur. She nodded. Ashenpaw, Thistlepaw, and Lightpaw turned and hurried away from the Thunderpath, which was now rumbling with monsters.

"I hope we can even find any prey," Lightpaw was meowing. Thistlepaw suddenly stopped in her tracks and scented the air. "Mouse…and water voles."

Ashenpaw turned and crept toward the river. He spotted a water vole prancing along the side of the river, picking up poppy seeds. He slowly crawled up to the furry brown creature and pounced, sinking his claws into its side. The vole gave a loud squeal, but it was cut short as Ashenpaw's claws met with its throat.

Ashenpaw picked up his catch instead of digging it up. He was anxious that some loner or rogue in the unclaimed territory would steal it, and at the moment, prey was very scarce and sacred. Each piece was to be kept safe.

"Nice catch, Ashenpaw!" Thistlepaw stepped into Ashenpaw's view. A mouse was dangling from her jaws, its brown fur stained with blood. Ashenpaw nodded. "Yours too. Where's Lightpaw?"

"She's down further by the river, trying to catch a fish."

Ashenpaw chuckled. His sister was so mousebrained sometimes. "We'd better go find her."

--

"Why aren't they traveling?" Thrushpelt demanded. "They're wasting time! The ones they must save may die!"

"Calm down, Thrushpelt!" Mothflight ran her tongue along her soft, white flank. "They'll travel when they find Grasspaw."

"Grasspaw can't just disappear into thin air, can he? He has to be somewhere!"

"Calm down!"

"I can't calm down at a time like this! The sacred ones lives' are at stake!" Thrushpelt's yellow-green eyes blazed with fear. "The Clans will die without the sacred ones."

--

"I almost caught a fish!" Lightpaw puffed her chest out proudly to Stonepaw as they shared a mouse. The hunting patrol had caught measly four pieces of prey, which wasn't quite enough for all the cats to eat. Three cats had to share the biggest piece of prey-a plump finch. Ashenpaw felt guilty for not catching enough, but at least he'd done something. He shared his own water vole with Thrushpaw and sighed. When would they find Grasspaw? And where? He was an important member of the group, although small and inexperienced.

Once all the apprentices had finished, it was sunhigh. "Perhaps we should move on," Dawnpaw suggested. Ashenpaw leapt to his paws and nodded. "We'll most likely find Grasspaw on the way."

And thus, the nine cats continued to travel in the direction of the river.

**LOL. The ending is soooo cheesy. Lol! This was kind of a filler chapter. Pretty boring, huh? I'm surprised that I even updated so soon.**

**xx-Starfall-xx**


	16. Chapter Fifteen

**Ten more chapters! Sorry I haven't updated in months. I've been busy working on ****The 100 Tales Challenge.**** By the way, I **_**know**_** Hollyleaf died! I wrote this story long before ­****Sunrise**** came out. And I don't care if it messes everything up! I'm taking this story in a certain direction, and I need Hollytail! Also, I've been trying to find what season it is in this fanfic, and I think it's newleaf. I'm not totally sure, but that's just what I'm going to make it. And I also know that Ashfur and Honeyfern died. Deal with it. So enjoy! **

CHAPTER 15

_Nightpaw followed Hollytail, Dustpelt, and Birchfall _back into the camp, sighing. Her siblings had gone missing during the previous night, and Firestar and Brambleclaw had ordered patrols to search for them. By that time, it was sunhigh. Nightpaw wondered where they could be, and why they'd leave without her. They were all siblings, right? As kits, they'd gotten into mischief all together. What happened?

Nightpaw sighed again and headed to the fresh-kill pile. Her belly was yowling with hunger, and the last time she'd eaten was the previous day at sunhigh when she shared a finch with Thrushpaw.

"Will you share this with me?"

A voice behind her made Nightpaw turn. Toadpaw was standing there with a mouse in his jaws. He looked awkward and uncomfortable. Nightpaw shrugged and settled down in front of him. Toadpaw's brown eyes widened and brightened. "Really? Th-thanks!"

Nightpaw groaned inwardly. Another young tom falling head over heels for her-great. She'd had to deal with two toms at the last Gathering-Mallowpaw and Beetlepaw of RiverClan. Beetlepaw had just become an apprentice about two sunrises before the Gathering. Nightpaw thought it was mousebrained to take a brand new apprentice to the Gathering.

"…So Rosepaw fell and landed face-flat in the mud!" Toadpaw had been talking, but Nightpaw wasn't listening. The young black and white tom laughed and Nightpaw forced a chuckle.

"Cloudtail is a really great mentor!" Toadpaw purred. "He's really funny and strong, but he can be mousebrained."

"So I've heard. How do you like being an apprentice?"

"It's a lot of fun, but it's also hard work." Toadpaw chewed a bite of mouse thoughtfully, and then swallowed. "But I'm sure being a warrior is harder than being an apprentice!"

"I bet so." Nightpaw swallowed her last bite of mouse, yawned, and began to rasp her tongue over her black fur. After a while of grooming herself, Nightpaw heard excited squealing and mewing. She glanced over at the warriors' den to see Honeywhisker and Birchfall standing side by side, nuzzling each other. Cinderpelt, Poppyleaf, Sorreltail, Ferncloud, and Spiderleg were gathered around them, looking thrilled.

Toadpaw leapt to his paws and hurried over to Spiderleg. "What's going on?" Nightpaw heard him ask.

"Honeywhisker is expecting Birchfall's kits!" Poppyleaf answered for Spiderleg. Toadpaw's ears pricked and his eyes widened. "Really? That's great!"

Nightpaw stood and slinked to the apprentices' den, where she curled into a tight ball and closed her eyes. She opened them when she heard pawsteps. Rosepaw had entered the den, her cream-colored fur sprinkled with brown dust. Toadpaw followed her, chatting excitedly about Honeywhisker's expected kits.

"I wonder how many she'll have! Wow, I'm going to be an uncle! You'll be an aunt! I just can't wait!" Toadpaw rambled, and Rosepaw just nodded. Nightpaw wondered if she really was interested in what Toadpaw was saying.

Nightpaw settled down in her nest and hoped for sleep to take over her, even though it was only sunhigh. She was exhausted from all the patrols she'd had to go on, and from training. But she wanted to talk to Tigerstar and Hawkfrost.

"Tigerstar?" Nightpaw called, gazing around. She was in a field, and it was nighttime. Crickets chirped and the occasional bird gave a tweet, but for the most part, it was silent. "Hawkfrost? Hello?"

"Nightpaw."

Nightpaw spun around, her hackles rising. "Who's there?" she demanded. The voice sure didn't sound like Tigerstar or Hawkfrost. Who was it?

A dark tortoiseshell she-cat trotted towards her. "Nightpaw, I am Spottedleaf. I used to be ThunderClan's medicine cat, when Firestar was a mere apprentice."

Nightpaw's eyes widened. "Where are Tigerstar and Hawkfrost?"

"That is what I've come to talk to you about." Spottedleaf's amber eyes were glazed with graveness. "You must stay away from them. They were horrible murderers when they were alive. Tigerstar murdered many cats, and Hawkfrost tried to kill Firestar so that Brambleclaw could be leader."

Nightpaw couldn't believe what she was saying. "What?"

"When Lionclaw was an apprentice, they tried to teach him to be a killer by training him harshly, like they are now to you," Spottedleaf meowed. Her voice was tinged with distress. "You must be careful."

"Spottedleaf," Nightpaw interrupted. "Do you know where Lightpaw, Thrushpaw, and Ashenpaw are?"

Spottedleaf's expression changed. "Yes. I do."

"Where?"

"I cannot say. But they are somewhere that they need to be." Spottedleaf was telling the truth; Nightpaw could tell.

"But why have they left me?" Nightpaw asked. "We're siblings. We always got into mischief when we were kits, and now, they've just left me alone."

"I must go, Nightpaw." Spottedleaf was fading into a wisp of white light.

"No! Please, tell me, why have they left me?" Nightpaw yowled. She raced forward to keep her from disappearing, but it was too late. Nightpaw was alone again. Thoughts swarmed in her head like angry bees. _What did she mean? I must know where they are, and why they've left me!_

**Did you like? I sure didn't!**

**xx-Starfall-xx**


	17. Chapter Sixteen

**I've suddenly started updating this story…o.o**

CHAPTER 16

"_I'm tired…" Lightpaw complained. "And my _paws hurt. Can't we stop and rest?"

Dawnpaw shook her head. "We need to reach a place where we can stop for the night. We can't keep stopping every few heartbeats, you know."

Lightpaw scowled, but kept her mouth shut. She was too worn out to shoot back a fiery retort, and then listen to Dawnpaw mumble about how disrespectful young cats were these days, and how immature Lightpaw was.

"Well…are we almost there?" Beetlepaw moaned. "My paws hurt too."

Dawnpaw growled. "_No,_ we're not almost there. Now keep quiet so I can concentrate on where we're going."

"How do you even know which way to go?" Beetlepaw demanded. "You said you've never been out of the forest before."

"Runningnose told me to follow the river," Dawnpaw replied. "I'm just doing what he told me, because I, unlike some of you, don't want to fool around and then get lost. I was almost a warrior back in ShadowClan. My ceremony would've been in a quarter moon. But now, I have to wait about another moon!"

"You've already _told_ us that, Dawnpaw." Lightpaw rolled her eyes. "Quit complaining."

"Look who's talking!" the tortoiseshell she-cat spat. "You're always moaning about how tired you are, and how much your paws hurt. It's not like we don't feel the same, but you don't see _us_ complaining!"

Lightpaw bristled. "Well-"

"Quit arguing!" Ashenpaw hissed. "All that does is just make us annoyed!"

"Sorry," Lightpaw mewed. "Dawnpaw's just complaining too much."

Dawnpaw kneaded the ground with her claws, as though she wished the ground were Lightpaw's pelt, but said nothing. Lightpaw smiled smugly, although Dawnpaw had already turned away.

"Can't you two just get along?" Ashenpaw whispered to Lightpaw. She shrugged. "_She's_ the one starting all this arguing."

Ashenpaw flicked his ears.

"It smells like rain," Thistlepaw commented, falling into step with Ashenpaw. The black-furred tom nodded. "I sure hope it doesn't rain on us. That might slow us down a bit."

"Rain can't slow us down," Lightpaw declared. "We're invincible!"

"Is that so?" Stonepaw chuckled, moving closer to her. "So…you wouldn't get hurt if I clawed your tail right now?"

"No!" Lightpaw cuffed him over the ear playfully, and then suddenly the prophecy flashed in her mind. "What do you think StarClan means by 'the young and helpless'?"

Stonepaw's expression turned thoughtfully. "I'm not sure…I wonder why they chose apprentices, though. And _me._ I'm nothing special."

"I'm not either." Lightpaw frowned.

"You're the kin of the great Firestar," Stonepaw murmured. "I'm not related to anyone strong or powerful."

Lightpaw stayed silent. She wasn't sure what to say to that, because Stonepaw was speaking the truth. Finally she settled on a simple answer: "You don't have to be related to someone strong to _be_ strong."

Stonepaw smiled. "True. Thanks, Lightpaw."

Lightpaw heard his belly growl, and she laughed. "Are you hungry?"

The gray tom nodded. "Ravenous. I hope we can hunt soon."

"Me too." Lightpaw shot a glare at Dawnpaw, whose ears flicked as though she was aware of Lightpaw's gaze.

"Fine!" Dawnpaw spun around. "We'll stop and hunt."

--

"They can't just keep stopping!" Yellowfang hissed. "They're never going to make it to the sacred ones in time!"

Pebbleheart sighed and nodded. "Even I agree to that. The sacred ones are getting weaker. They have no food. They're lucky if they eat at all in one day."

Suddenly, Spottedleaf bounded over to them. "I spoke to Nightpaw. I told her that her siblings were in no danger."

"Did you tell her to stop visiting Tigerstar and Hawkfrost?" Pebbleheart asked, pricking his ears. Spottedleaf nodded. "Bluestar has called a meeting. We'd better go."

Yellowfang and Pebbleheart nodded, rose to their paws, and followed Spottedleaf to the meeting place.

--

Lightpaw slowly blinked her eyes open. The first thing she saw was Silverpelt. Stars sparkled overhead and a few dark clouds lolled across the night sky. At first it took her a moment to realize where she was and why she could see Silverpelt.

"Lightpaw, you awake?"

The golden-brown tabby she-cat glanced to her side to see Stonepaw standing over her. "Come on. I want to show you something." He flicked his tail, and Lightpaw stood. She carefully crept over the other sleeping cats and hurried after Stonepaw.

He led her to a springy field. Daisies bobbed and the tall grasses twitched in the thick, gentle breeze. Lightpaw yawned, inhaling the sweet smell of the pollen and rain. "How'd you find this, Stonepaw?"

Suddenly she realized that he wasn't there. Lightpaw glanced around. "Stonepaw?"

The breath was knocked from her as he bowled into her from behind. She forced herself not to squeal in surprise; for she might wake the others, who weren't very far away. The two apprentices tussled for a bit, and then flopped down onto a patch of spongy clovers, wet with predawn dew.

Lightpaw sighed. The sky was now lightening at the horizon, turning gray. Silverpelt was beginning to fade as dawn approached. But Lightpaw knew those starry warriors were always alongside her, even when you couldn't see them. Hollytail had told her and her siblings that when they were young kits, and Lightpaw had held onto that bit of knowledge.

"Why did you bring me out here, Stonepaw?" Lightpaw turned to face him.

"I wanted to watch the sunrise with you." Stonepaw's dark blue eyes gleamed. Lightpaw smiled and scooted closer to him. She felt his soft gray fur brush against her own golden-brown tabby pelt. Her heart began to quicken as he gazed at her.

"Your eyes," he murmured.

"What about them?"

"They're pretty."

"They're just green_."_

"I know. But I think they're pretty." Stonepaw's voice was so gentle, so calm and peaceful. His nose was so close to hers, and she felt his gentle breath against her forehead…

"Y-yours are too," Lightpaw stammered, ducking away from his gaze. "They're a nice color of blue."

"Thanks." Stonepaw smiled warmly. Lightpaw twitched her whiskers, and suddenly felt something stir inside her chest. Was it what she thought it was? She shivered when she realized what the feeling was.

"Are you cold?" Stonepaw asked, pressing his flank closer to hers.

"N-no," Lightpaw stammered. "Um…" Her heart was thumping so loudly that she was sure he could hear it, and her ears were hot. "Can I tell you something, Stonepaw?"

Stonepaw nodded, his dark blue eyes shining.

"I…" Lightpaw drew in a deep breath. "I…I think…I'm in love with you."

**O_o Ohemgee! What will happen next? Who knows? The next chapter will be from Lightpaw's POV again, so that you can find out what Stonepaw says! Stone x Light forever! :3**

**xx-Starfall-xx**


	18. Chapter Seventeen

**Sorry for not updating in freaking forever!!! I've been soooo busy!**

CHAPTER 17

_Stonepaw's eyes widened. "Lightpaw…I…I _don't know what to say."

Lightpaw's heart sank and she gazed at the ground. He didn't love her, after all.

"But…" Stonepaw's voice made Lightpaw glance back up at him hopefully. "I think I'll say…I love you too."

Happiness soared through Lightpaw like sparks of ember shooting up from a fire. She grinned and pressed her nose against his. He drew his away. "But Lightpaw…we're from different Clans. What do we do? We can't mate or have kits, or anything like that."

"I don't care," Lightpaw murmured. "I just want to spend the rest of my life with you. But let's not think about that now." She rose to her paws, stretched, and sat down, facing the soon-to-be-rising sun. "We're only apprentices. Let's wait until we're warriors."

Stonepaw nodded and sat up beside her, twining his tail with hers. "Look! The sunrise."

Lightpaw narrowed her eyes against the bright light that slowly rose into the pale pink and orange sky. The light washed over each blade of grass and every petal of every daisy. The morning dew sparkled and birdsong from a nearby willow tree filled Lightpaw's ears.

"Wow," Lightpaw murmured, breaking the silence between them. "I've never seen the sunrise before."

"Do you like it?" Stonepaw asked.

Lightpaw nodded. "It's beautiful."

Stonepaw pressed his pelt against hers. "Like you."

Lightpaw blushed, but before she could respond, someone called her name.

"Lightpaw! Stonepaw!"

The two apprentices jumped, quickly untwined their tails, and turned to see Thrushpaw and Dawnpaw bounding toward them. "Where have you been?" Thrushpaw demanded.

"Here," Lightpaw answered simply.

"Why weren't you doing something useful, like hunting?" Dawnpaw growled.

"We wanted to watch the sunrise." Stonepaw dipped his head. "Sorry. We'll go hunt now."

Lightpaw scowled, but followed Stonepaw away from the flowery field and into the woods. "I don't want to hunt," she grumbled. "Why'd you agree to her?"

Stonepaw shrugged. "Dawnpaw is almost a warrior. I usually have to listen to her. And besides, I didn't want to start a conflict."

Lightpaw tasted the air. "I smell…shrew."

"Me too." Stonepaw nodded and pricked his ears. "I hear it." His voice lowered to a whisper.  
Lightpaw, too, heard it, and crouched down, creeping towards the sound coming from the base of a tree. She could see the small brown creature nibbling on a seed, its back facing her. She checked to make sure the wind was blowing towards her and not towards the shrew, then pounced, killing it swiftly with a bite to its neck.

"Great catch!" Stonepaw praised as she scraped earth over the fresh-kill. Lightpaw twitched her whiskers. "Thanks. It was a pretty easy one, though. This newleaf is very plentiful."

"Hey, there's a starling," Stonepaw murmured, pointing his muzzle to the first branch in the tree where a plump starling sat, preening itself.

"I think I can reach that." Stonepaw stalked over to the tree, bundled his strength, and gave a mighty leap right onto the bird. It squawked and was suddenly silent as Stonepaw killed it.

"That was great!" Lightpaw called to him as he jumped off the branch. "How did you do that?"

Stonepaw shrugged. "I'm not sure. Come on; we have enough for now. Let's head back to the others."

Soon the nine cats were traveling again, following the river, just like the ancient medicine cats had said to do. The river was lapping against the pebbly bank in the strong wind and the sun had disappeared behind some clouds, turning the water gray.

Lightpaw ruffled her fur as a gust of wind nearly knocked her over. "Why is it so windy? It feels as though we're on WindClan territory."

Neither Thistlepaw nor Sedgepaw looked bothered by the wind. "Feels just like home," Thistlepaw mewed thoughtfully, her whiskers being buffeted against her cheeks as another breeze blew by.

"The wind is carrying the scent of rain," Dawnpaw commented. "Hopefully it won't rain until tonight, when we stop."

"Did any of your dreams include how far we have to go?" Beetlepaw mumbled. "Or how long it would take? Or how long this river is?"

"If yours didn't, then ours didn't either," Dawnpaw replied a bit irritably.

Beetlepaw gave an enormous yawn. "I'm tired of walking."

"We haven't even been walking that long."

"I'm still tired. I was keeping watch last night."

"I was too, and I'm not complaining!"

"I'm younger than you, anyways. I need more sleep."

"Why don't you just shut your mouth?"

"You two, please." Thrushpaw rolled her eyes. "Why don't _both_ of you just shut your mouths?"

"He's being obnoxious!" Dawnpaw spat, narrowing her eyes at Beetlepaw.

"You're not much better!" Thrushpaw snapped. "Now both of you, please, just stop arguing. It's not solving anything."

Lightpaw sighed. This was going to be a long journey.

**This was kind of a filler chapter…but at least we know now that Stonepaw and Lightpaw love each other!! Awww.**

**xx-Starfall-xx**


	19. Chapter Eighteen

CHAPTER 18

"_Stonepaw, Lightpaw," Thrushpaw called. "Don't stray _away from the group."

Lightpaw rolled her eyes, while Stonepaw quickly hurried back into the patrol. "Sorry."

Thrushpaw eyed Lightpaw skeptically. Something was going on between her and Stonepaw. She would have to keep an eye on them.

Nearby, the river was getting wider and wider, reaching closer to the cats' paws. They continuously had to move a tail-length over so that they wouldn't get their paws wet. Beetlepaw and Petalpaw, however, liked to walk on the bank and splash each other with water.

_Petalpaw only speaks to her brother, and rarely ever does she,_ Thrushpaw noticed. _Strange. I guess she's just really shy. Although, I can't imagine why. She's really pretty._ Thrushpaw watched as Beetlepaw thrust a pawful of water at the small white she-cat, who giggled and splashed him back.

"You guys should really come and get your paws wet," Beetlepaw called to the other apprentices. "It feels great! The ground is so pebbly underpaw and it feels so good!"

"No thanks, I'll pass," Dawnpaw muttered, loud enough so that Beetlepaw could hear her. Under her breath, she murmured, "_RiverClan._"

"Hey! I think I can smell Grasspaw!" Sedgepaw suddenly exclaimed. She was sniffing at a large oak tree that had hollowed-out roots and moss lining the inside.

Petalpaw bounded over to the tree and sniffed at it. "Yes, it smells just like him!"

"He probably slept there for a night or two," Stonepaw noted.

"Petalpaw, can you follow the scent?" Beetlepaw asked his sister. She lowered her head and inhaled deeply, then nodded. "I'll try." She began leading the group past the tree and towards a cliff up ahead.

By the time they reached the cliff, dusk was settling in the sky, the sun sinking and the stars of Silverpelt slowly appearing. Thrushpaw's paws were aching and her belly was yowling with hunger. Petalpaw was still sniffing at the ground, and led the patrol along the edge of the cliff. The river had emptied out into a large, vast lake below the cliff. Yet, it wasn't a lake; it was much, much larger.

"I think this is the sun-drown place," Lightpaw whispered to Thrushpaw. "The elders told me about it a while ago. They said it was a vast stretch of water below a cliff. And Midnight the badger lives in the cliff. Perhaps that's where we're headed."

"Perhaps," Thrushpaw agreed. "But I wouldn't want to run face-to-face with a badger and ask her about a random prophecy."

"Midnight's a nice badger," Lightpaw pointed out. "Supposedly."

Petalpaw raised her head. "We need to reach that hole in the cliff. I can smell him faintly down there." She crouched beside the edge of the cliff and pointed with her muzzle to it.

"How?" Ashenpaw asked. "We can't jump."

"Maybe there's a ramp or something nearby." Thistlepaw glanced around. "There! We can just climb down that and we'll be down there in no time."

"But there's…there are Twolegs." Lightpaw bristled.

"If any of them get close to us," Beetlepaw boasted, "I'll rip those pelts right off of them!" He flexed his claws.

"There's no need to fight with the Twolegs," Dawnpaw meowed firmly. "They're much larger and stronger than us. They can take us to their dens and never let us out. But we need to stick together and move quickly." She turned to Petalpaw. "Lead the way, Petalpaw."

Walking along the very edge of the cliff, Petalpaw led the patrol across the warm Thunderpath-type ground.

"Why are there no monsters around here?" Thrushpaw wondered aloud. "This is Thunderpath ground, after all."

"Maybe they're sleeping," Ashenpaw suggested.

Finally they reached the ramp. Petalpaw bounced down it gracefully and landed in the sand beneath it. The rest of the cats followed.

"Ouch!" Sedgepaw hissed when she landed. "I trod on something." She lifted her forepaw and stared at the ground. "What's that?"

Dawnpaw examined the object. "It looks sharp. And it smells like the water, but…salty and tangy…and musty." She glanced up at Sedgepaw. "Are you all right?"

Sedgepaw nodded. "It didn't even break the skin on my pad."

"Good," Dawnpaw meowed, heading back to the front beside Petalpaw. "Let's keep moving, then. It's not far."

When they arrived at the cave, the sky was dark and the crescent-shaped moon hung overhead. Petalpaw cautiously stepped back behind Beetlepaw. "It smells like badger."

"But I can smell Grasspaw!" Beetlepaw exclaimed, darting inside.

"Beetlepaw! Wait!" Dawnpaw hissed, racing after him. Thrushpaw followed her, bounding blindly through the dark, only following Dawnpaw's scent. Finally they entered a larger cave.

"Grasspaw!" Beetlepaw's ecstatic cry echoed along the cave walls. Thrushpaw burst out from the tunnel to see Grasspaw crouching beside a puddle where water was dripping from the roof of the cave. Beetlepaw and Petalpaw lunged forward, nuzzling Grasspaw and licking him all over.

"We thought you had vanished!" Beetlepaw panted. "How did you know to come here?"

"I just followed the river, like the cat in my dream told me to," Grasspaw responded simply. "Midnight the badger lives here. She's been helping me, telling me to wait for you, that you would come find me. Can you believe it; she speaks cat!"

"Where is Midnight?" Lightpaw glanced around.

Grasspaw motioned with his tail to another hole in the wall. "She's in her den. Would you like to fetch her?" He rose to his paws, stretched, and padded into the hole.

_It probably leads to another tunnel and another cave,_ Thrushpaw thought. _This place is obviously filled with them._

"My paws feel like they're about to fall off!" Thistlepaw complained, flopping to the sand-covered ground with a sigh. Lightpaw nodded. "It feels like I haven't eaten in a moon! I could eat a whole pheasant in one bite!"

Grasspaw soon returned, followed by a small black-and-white badger with beady black eyes. She hobbled toward the group of cats. "My name Midnight. Grasspaw tell me about getting left behind because dogs attacked. Nice meet you."

Beetlepaw thrust his way to the front of the group. "I'm Beetlepaw, Grasspaw's brother. Thank you for keeping Grasspaw safe."

"No 'thank yous'." Midnight shook her head. "No time. Need tell you dream."

The apprentices settled in front of Midnight, tucking their paws underneath their chests and pressing against their Clanmates.

"Gray she-cat appear to me," Midnight explained. "Want me tell you this: follow the tunnels and you will soon reach sacred ones."

"Who are the sacred ones?" Stonepaw murmured, staring at the ground.

"They can't be so sacred if they need us to come rescue them," Thrushpaw mumbled. "Can't they save themselves?"

"So…by the tunnels, the gray she-cat must mean that the sacred ones are somewhere in this cave thing?" Thistlepaw guessed, gazing around the cave.

Midnight shook her head. "I not know. She could mean that. Also said that sacred ones getting weaker. Need much food."

"Oh, great StarClan," Thrushpaw muttered, and then raised her voice. "They can't be _so_ sacred as to not be able to take care of themselves!"

Dawnpaw nodded. "You're right. But maybe StarClan is talking about elders, or something. Perhaps these elders are chock-full of knowledge and wisdom that could be useful to the Clans."

"But the prophecy says, 'the young and helpless'," Ashenpaw pointed out.

Suddenly, Thrushpaw heard a low grumble. Everyone glanced around and all eyes fell on Sedgepaw. She grimaced. "Sorry! I'm starving."

"Grasspaw, what do you get to eat around here?" Beetlepaw asked his brother.

"There's a field nearby where we can hunt. But there are sometimes Twolegs around there. They sit around a small fire and wave these lights around." Grasspaw stood. "A few of us can go hunt."

Dawnpaw rose to her paws. "I suppose I could go. Stonepaw?" She glanced down at the gray tabby tom, who followed suit. "Sure."

Thrushpaw offered to go, but Thistlepaw and Sedgepaw went instead, leaving the ThunderClan and RiverClan cats. Thrushpaw yawned and curled up beside Ashenpaw. "I'm exhausted. I think I'll sleep for a moon."

"Me too," Ashenpaw agreed. "Or just until they come back from hunting."

Thrushpaw smiled, then quickly sank into sleep.

**Soooo…they're getting a lot closer to the 'sacred ones'! Huzzah! This was really long…sorry about that. And notice how Petalpaw has a very keen sense of smell…**

**xx-Starfall-xx**


	20. Chapter Nineteen

**Chapter 19 already! By the way, can we just say that Squirrelflight and Brambleclaw really are Hollytail, Lionclaw, and Jayfeather's parents? Please? I need it to be that way for my plotline to work. :x**

CHAPTER 19

"_Ashenpaw?"_

_He turned to see a _sleek black she-cat trotting toward him. "Nightpaw! What are you doing here?"

"I'm wondering the same, myself," Nightpaw mumbled. "I'm usually training with Tigerstar and Hawkfrost in my dreams. So where are you guys? Why did you leave me?"

"There was a prophecy that involved us," Ashenpaw admitted. "We're at the sun-drown place now, staying with Midnight the badger. We're so close to reaching the sacred ones that the prophecy calls for."

"So the prophecy included you, Thrushpaw, and Lightpaw," Nightpaw mewed slowly, "but not me?"

Ashenpaw sighed and shook his head. "I suppose ThunderClan needs you now more than the sacred ones need you. You're so much stronger than us, Nightpaw. Is it because of Tigerstar and Hawkfrost?"

Nightpaw shrugged. "I guess. So how are you? Is everything going okay?"

"Yes, yes, we're all fine. Now enough about me. How is ThunderClan? I'm dying to know. I miss the stone hollow."

"It-it's great. Um…Foxtail and Icewhisker are warriors now. And Rosepaw and Toadpaw are apprentices. Cloudtail is mentoring Toadpaw and Stormfur is Rosepaw's mentor." Nightpaw seemed truly happy to see her brother. "How are Thrushpaw and Lightpaw?"

"They're good," Ashenpaw answered. "How are Brook's kits?"

"They're really cute. Branchkit is always bouncing around everywhere and getting under cats' paws." Nightpaw twitched her whiskers. "Uh…I have some other news."

"What?" Ashenpaw's belly fluttered with anxiety.

"Ferncloud and Daisy are deciding to stay in the nursery to help out with the kits. And…Hollytail is pregnant again."

Ashenpaw gasped. "What? With whose kits?"

"We're not sure…she hasn't told anyone yet," Nightpaw explained. "But he's our father, most likely."

"Are you…well, are you still visiting Tigerstar and Hawkfrost?"

"Yes…why wouldn't I?" Nightpaw asked. "They're great mentors, better than mine will ever be." She curled her lip.

"Sorreltail is a good mentor," Ashenpaw argued. "It's just…I overheard the elders talking about how they used to train Brambleclaw in his dreams. And that kind of worried me. They're trying to get you on their side, Nightpaw."

"What _side_?" Nightpaw spat. "It's not like they're evil, or anything! They're ambitious! They want me to succeed! They want me to be powerful! They know I have potential like they did, because I'm their kin. Don't you want to succeed and have power too?"

"Of course I want to succeed," Ashenpaw responded slowly. "But I don't care about power. I just care about serving my Clan and doing what's right. Following the warrior code. You know, that list of rules that you never seem to follow?"

Nightpaw hissed. "You don't know what you're saying! The warrior code is for _weaklings!"_

"Are you calling Firestar a weakling?" Ashenpaw challenged. "And Brambleclaw? And Hollytail and Lionclaw?"

Nightpaw swung her head around. "Goodbye, Ashenpaw. It's time I should get back to training with those _evil cats_ again." She disappeared, and Ashenpaw awoke, rage boiling in his chest.

"What's wrong, Ashenpaw?" Lightpaw asked sleepily, lifting her head to glance at her brother.

"Nothing." Ashenpaw kneaded the ground with his claws. "I just had a dream…Nightpaw was in it."

"Nightpaw?" Lightpaw gasped. "Did she talk to you? What did she say? How is she? How is ThunderClan? Is she worried about us? She isn't mad at us, is she?"

"Yeah, she's good, and so is ThunderClan. She was worried about us at first, but now she knows where we are. And no, she's not mad at us." Ashenpaw quickly answered all of Lightpaw's questions. He didn't want to mention that Hollytail was pregnant, or that he and Nightpaw had fought.

"Good," the golden-brown tabby sighed in relief. "We should probably get going soon."

Suddenly, Thrushpaw jolted awake.

"Thrushpaw? Are _you_ okay?" Lightpaw asked, chuckling a bit.

"I had a dream!" Thrushpaw cried. "We're almost there. I sensed the sacred ones. I sensed them…and I saw where they were. They're in this cave, like Midnight said! But there are not many sacred ones. That's all I know. I didn't see them or hear them…I just…knew they were there. We're so close!"

"Calm down," Ashenpaw mewed. "Do you know which direction they're in?"

Thrushpaw closed her eyes, and then opened them again. "That way." She motioned with her tail to the hole a few foxlengths away from Midnight's den. "Should we leave now? Or should we eat first?"

"Let's ask the others," Ashenpaw meowed.

The ThunderClan apprentices gently nudged the others awake. They sat up groggily and listened as Thrushpaw explained her dream again.

"So…so if we go down that tunnel, we'll find them?" Beetlepaw asked.

"Well…if we keep going down the tunnels, we will," Thrushpaw responded. "Do you want to eat first, or leave now?"

"I'm not _really_ hungry," Thistlepaw mewed. "I could stand not eating for a little while."

"We probably won't be able to find any food there," Stonepaw pointed out. Dawnpaw nodded. "I think we should eat first, then go."

Ashenpaw crouched next to Thrushpaw and began to nibble on a vole. He wasn't too hungry; he was still very angry with Nightpaw. _She's so…so…stubborn! And hotheaded! Why won't she listen to me when I tell her that Tigerstar and Hawkfrost are up to no good?_

"Ashenpaw!" Thrushpaw growled loudly. "You're tearing apart the vole!"

Ashenpaw glanced down to see shredded bits of vole strewn around their paws. "Oh…sorry! I was…thinking about something."

"Yeah, well, next time, don't think so hard." Thrushpaw hooked a scrap of vole meat onto her claw and lapped it into her mouth.

When every cat had finished eating, Dawnpaw rose to her paws and stood at the front of the group. "Okay, Thrushpaw, lead the way."

**Not much of a cliffie, there. So! Thrushpaw has powers! Actually, all four of them have powers. Ashenpaw and Nightpaw can speak to each other and other cats in their dreams (plus they have one other power, not yet revealed), Thrushpaw can dream about where things are and how to get there and can sense them (like Dovepaw, if you've read ****The Fourth Apprentice****), and Lightpaw…well, I haven't yet revealed hers in any of the chapters, so you'll just have to wait and find out!**

**xx-Starfall-xx**


	21. Chapter Twenty

**Jeez, it's been forever since I've updated any of my stories! Ugh, it's because my dad had to uninstall Microsoft Word because there was a big virus somewhere in our computer. So I have to use WordPad, which doesn't have a spell-check or anything. It's quite stupid. So if I make any spelling mistakes, please point them out! Yeah, I changed my username to The Unheard Song.**

**By the way, the cave in this chapter is the cave in the real series that Hollyleaf dies (or so we think) in. She obviously didn't die in my series though. **

CHAPTER 20

"_Nightpaw!" Sorreltail called from outside the _apprentices' den. "Dawn patrol. Come on; they're about to leave."

Groaning inwardly, Nightpaw rose to her paws and stretched. She padded out of the den and was immediately nearly blown over by a huge gust of wind.

"A storm's moving in," Sorreltail murmured to her apprentice as they scurried to the camp entrance where Spiderleg and Icewhisker were standing, waiting for them.

"Okay, Nightpaw, let's test your skills," Sorreltail meowed as they made their way to the WindClan border. "What can you smell?"

"I smell…rabbit and…sparrow. Fresh-kill." Nightpaw rolled her eyes. This was a kit game.

"That's right. The hunting patrol must've just caught something here." Sorreltail gestured to a pile of earth against the base of a tree where the mouth-watering scent of fresh-kill wafted.

_Great. I must be _so_ talented because I can smell fresh-kill!_ Nightpaw thought sarcastically and irritably. Since the fight with Ashenpaw the previous night in her dream, she'd been in a grouchy mood.

A light drizzle fell over the forest, and soon Nightpaw's black pelt was slick and wet. She sighed. What a great patrol she was on.

A bright flash of lightning clawed the sky, followed by a huge blast of thunder. The rain began to turn hard, and it felt as though rocks were hitting Nightpaw's back.

"What is this stuff?" Icewhisker shouted over the loud hammering of the "rain". She nudged a piece with her paw and sniffed it. "Ice?"

"It's hail!" Sorreltail announced. "We need to get back to camp. Sometimes hail can get as big as a kit!"

Nightpaw glanced at the sky. Suddenly, lightning flashed and struck a nearby tree. A ferocious cracking sound followed suit, and then a crash as the now black tree slammed down. The ground shuddered, and Nightpaw's gaze flicked down at her paws. What if the ground broke through? She shook her head; that was impossible.

"We can't get back to camp with the risk of a tree falling on us," Spiderleg told Sorreltail, who nodded and gazed around. "Into that cave. Hurry!" She flicked her tortoiseshell tail at a small cave. The faint stench of fox lingered there, but it was probably a moon stale. Icewhisker and Spiderleg crawled in, their bellies low to the ground, and crouched inside. Nightpaw squeezed in as well, followed by Sorreltail.

"What now?" Icewhisker asked, breathless.

"We just wait it out." Sorreltail hesitated before speaking, as a large clap of thunder succeeded Icewhisker's question.

Nightpaw suddenly realized that she was shivering. Her pelt was soaking wet, along with her Clanmates'. The cave was stuffy, but a chilly wind was blowing from the east, right into it.

"Well, we can't just stay here the entire day," Spiderleg muttered.

"It'll clear up in a bit," Sorreltail argued.

Nightpaw rested her chin on her paws and swept her tail around her body. _Why wasn't _I_ part of the prophecy? Surely I must be, since Tigerstar and Hawkfrost take interest in me. They want to help me be better than any other cat. That must mean that I have potential. _

A loud cracking sound jolted Nightpaw out of her thoughts. A huge tree seemed to be leaning to the side, and Nightpaw could see jagged ends on the opposite side of the trunk. It was swaying, swaying, and then toppled down onto the cave.

Nightpaw heard Icewhisker shriek and back into the deepest crevice of the cave. The stone seemed to split in half, and the tree landed a mousetail away from Nightpaw's nose. Dust and dirt flew up from around it, and Nightpaw glanced around. Spiderleg and Sorreltail were crouched against the walls, their eyes wide.

"Is everyone okay?" Sorreltail's voice broke the eerie silence. Nightpaw nodded slowly, still in shock. Spiderleg and Icewhisker mewed a quiet "yes". The tree was blocking the entrance to the cave. What would they do now?

"How will we get out?" Icewhisker murmured.

"Just stay calm," Sorreltail ordered. "Nightpaw, you're closest to the tree. Try to push it, and see if it moves at all."

"You're not going to be able to move a whole tree trunk by yourself!" Spiderleg hissed. "Especially if you're an apprentice!"

Nightpaw ignored him, feeling an odd burst of strength. She rose up on her hind legs, pressed her paws on the rough bark of the tree, and shoved. The tree rolled a foxlength away from the entrance, leaving everyone speechless.

"How did you do that, Nightpaw?" Icewhisker demanded, leaping out of the cave. Nightpaw squirmed out and arched her back in a stretch. "I don't know."

Spiderleg wandered over to the tree and tried to push it himself, but it didn't budge. "Nightpaw, are you playing some sort of prank on us?"

Nightpaw shook her head. _I don't_ know_ how I did that. Even Spiderleg can't move the tree. StarClan, am I part of the prophecy too?_

The hail suddenly stopped.

"That's odd," Sorreltail commented. "Usually it slows to a stop."

_I'll take that as a "yes"._

**Really short and crappy chapter. I just suddenly decided to give Nightpaw strength as another power. So far: Ashenpaw and Nightpaw can talk to each other and StarClan in their dreams, Nightpaw has extreme strength, and Thrushpaw can dream about where things are and can reach out her senses (like Dovepaw in TFA). Lightpaw has powers as well, not yet revealed, and Ashenpaw has another power as well. So yeah, sorry for the crappy chapter.**

**-The Unheard Song-**


	22. Chapter Twenty One

**Here's chapter 21 already!**

CHAPTER 21

_Lightpaw stepped into the cave, careful_ not to trod on Petalpaw's tail. Darkness seeped in around her, and the air grew stuffy. The 8 cats were quickly filing into the tunnels, preparing to find the "sacred ones". Thrushpaw led the way, since she seemed so sure about where she was going, and Dawnpaw had offered to take the rear. Lightpaw was just jumbled in somewhere in the middle.

Strange, musty scents surrounded the tunnel. From somewhere behind her, Lightpaw heard Sedgepaw call, "Uh, Thrushpaw? How far is this place, exactly?"

"I'm not sure," Thrushpaw responded. "About the distance between the ThunderClan and WindClan camps."

"That's far," Thistlepaw complained. "It's dark, and it smells weird!"

"Well, we have to get there, no matter how far it is," Dawnpaw pitched in. "It's StarClan's will."

Lightpaw nodded, agreeing with the older apprentice. She suddenly began to see faint lights up ahead of her. She burst out of the tunnel and into a large cave. The ceiling had holes in it, where drops of sunlight lit the room dimly. There were at least 5 other tunnels along the walls, all leading in different directions.

"Well, what now?" Beetlepaw demanded. "Looks like we're already lost."

"We're not lost," Thrushpaw snapped. "Just go straight ahead, into that tunnel. We just go straight ahead the whole time." She disappeared into the mouth of the tunnel again. The rest of the apprentices followed, unsure of Thrushpaw's judgement.

At least 7 tunnels later, Thistlepaw started to complain again. "My paws are getting sore."

"We're almost there," Thrushpaw called back to the WindClan she-cat. "Just hang on a bit longer."

Lightpaw was also growing paw-sore. Her rough paw pads were used to trodding on the forest floor, not smooth stone. She was constantly loosing her pawhold on the ground, and Stonepaw, who was behind her, had to keep nudging her back to her paws with his muzzle. Lightpaw was sure that he was getting annoyed with her.

"Can we stop and rest for a few heartbeats?" Beetlepaw asked as they entered yet another cave. He flopped to the ground and sighed. "I'm getting hungry. Are any of you?"

"Not really," Grasspaw mewed, sitting down beside his brother and shaking his head.

"I can't believe we're already almost to the sacred ones," Sedgepaw meowed excitedly. "It seems like just yesterday, we left."

"I know." Petalpaw tucked her paws under her chest and wrapped her tail around her thighs. Sedgepaw followed suit.

Lightpaw settled down beside Ashenpaw, who had been quiet all day. "Is something bothering you?" she asked. That seemed to jolt Ashenpaw out of his thoughts. He shook his head. "Nope."

"I noticed that you seem to have something going for Thistlepaw," Lightpaw purred. Ashenpaw's eyes widened and he scrabbled a few mouthlengths backwards. "Wh-what makes you think that?"

Lightpaw let out a _mrrow_ of amusement. "You're always looking at her, and talking to her, and hunting with her. Come on. Don't deny it!"

"W-well..." Ashenpaw sat back down beside his sister and smoothed down his chest fur with his tongue. "I think you have a thing for Stonepaw!"

_How does he know?_ "No, I don't," Lightpaw protested. "We're just really good friends."

"Don't pretend I didn't see you two curling up together in that field of flowers at sunrise a few days ago," Ashenpaw chuckled.

"No! It's not like that, Ashenpaw," Lightpaw hissed nervously, her fur beginning to rise. "I don't love Stonepaw. We're really close friends! He just wanted to show me that field. And I'd never seen the sunrise, so we just stayed to watch it."

"Oh, sure." Ashenpaw twitched his whiskers, and Lightpaw let her fur lie flat, flustered. "I don't."

"We need to keep going," Thrushpaw told the group. "We're almost there. I promise you."

Lightpaw heaved herself to her paws, stretched her legs out behind her, and followed her friends into the next tunnel. It was a narrow one; the walls scraped Lightpaw's flanks as she struggled to fit her broad shoulders through. _Whoever my father is, thanks for giving me enormous shoulders!_ Lightpaw thought bitterly. The tunnel was getting even narrower, and Lightpaw soon could just barely fit.

"Thrushpaw, I can't go any farther," Beetlepaw called from behind. "It's too narrow, and I'm too large."

Petalpaw seemed to be fitting easily; she was tiny. Lightpaw wondered how she and Beetlepaw were even related.

"Me too," Ashenpaw agreed. "Those who can keep going should just go on ahead. I can stay behind."

"I found them!" Thrushpaw exclaimed. Lightpaw gasped and wriggled her body through a hole in the wall. She tumbled out of the tunnel, into yet another cave, and suddenly smelled other cats. When she glanced up, what she saw surprised her.

**Cliffie! Yay, they finally made it to the sacred ones! I'll update as soon as I can to let you know who the sacred ones really are. This was also a short chapter, but the arguing between Ashenpaw and Lightpaw was kind of funny to me. xD Hope you liked!**

**-The Unheard Song-**


	23. Chapter Twenty Two

**Wow...it's been so long, and I feel so terrible for leaving you guys with that horrible cliffhanger from the last chapter! School started a looong time ago...but I've had so much homework and other crap to do that I haven't even had time to touch the computer! But it's Christmas break, which means I have tons of time to update! So enjoy chapter 22! :D**

CHAPTER 22

_"Kits?" Thrushpaw heard Dawnpaw exclaim. Thrushpaw_ was surprised, herself, to see 4 kits, probably around four or five moons old, huddled in the center of the cave. The larger of the kits, a dark gray tom, stepped forward. "Who are you, and how did you find our cave?"

"_Your_ cave?" Thistlepaw repeated.

"Storm," a smaller gray-and-white she-cat whispered to the dark gray tom kit. "I think these are the ones who have come to rescue us."

"We don't need rescuing, Sky," Storm hissed back. "We're well enough alone."

"Um, greetings," Ashenpaw meowed. "Are you the sacred ones that we have been looking for?"

"I believe we are," a gray tabby tom kit replied. "And are you the ones that we have been expecting?"

Ashenpaw nodded slightly. "I guess we are."

Thrushpaw shook her head sharply to clear it. This was all too surreal. It didn't make sense. How could the sacred ones be _kits?_ What was StarClan doing?

"Names, please," the fourth kit, a dark brown tabby tom, mewed.

The eight journeying cats replied with their names. "What about you?" Sedgepaw asked.

"I'm Pine," the dark brown tabby kit answered.

"Sky," the gray-and-white she-cat chimed in.

"Storm," said the dark gray tom.

"And Rain," the gray tabby tom kit finished.

Lightpaw leaned over and whispered in Thrushpaw's ear: "Are you sure you led us the right way?"

Thrushpaw nodded. "This is the place. It has to be. They...they said they were expecting us." But why would StarClan make us come all this way to save kits? They'd almost been killed by dogs! Grasspaw had been lost for several days! _Surely they're powerful. Surely they'll save the Clans from whatever is coming..._

"Well, I suppose we should get a move on, then," Stonepaw mewed, standing up and stretching.

"So...we're just gonna..._take _them? To the Clans?" Sedgepaw murmured. "But what if they're not the ones?"

"They have to be. We didn't come all this way just to not find them," Dawnpaw snapped. "And obviously they've known about us for some time now."

"Sky, are you sure these are the ones?" Pine whispered. Sky nodded. "There were 8 silhouettes in my dream. And here are the 8 cats. Of course they're the ones." Pine still looked unsure, but he sighed and turned to Thrushpaw. "Are you going to take us back to your homeland?"

"Yes," Thrushpaw replied. "The Clans. I guess you'll each go to a different Clan."

"What?" Sky pressed against her brothers. "We cannot be separated!"

Thrushpaw sighed, understanding their pain. "I'm sorry. But one Clan can't just be more powerful than the others. There are four Clans, and four of you. StarClan had this all laid out before us."

"StarClan?" Rain echoed. "We aren't familiar with your ways of life...but if we are to go back home with you, I suppose we shall learn."

_Such intellectual language for such young ages!_ Thrushpaw thought, awed. _Not even the elders back home talk like that! Where did these kits learn this language from?_ "Um, where is your mother?"

"Our mother?" Sky looked uncomfortable.

"Well, let's go," Pine interrupted, padding in between Thrushpaw and Sky. "We want to make it back to your homeland before sunset, don't we?"

"Oh, we can't make it back that soon," Stonepaw told Pine. "It will take much longer than that. Perhaps a quarter moon?"

Pine was silent. "I don't understand."

"A quarter moon. Seven days."

"Do you mean, seven suns?"

It was Stonepaw's turn to look confused. "I mean seven days. But if you're to join the Clans, you must learn to talk like a Clan cat. We'll teach you along the way."

Pine looked as though he didn't want to change his ways, but he sighed and nodded. "As you wish."

"Are we just gonna stand around here and do nothing?" Lightpaw chimed in, bouncing to her paws. "Let's get going! I'm tired of this musty old place."

"Should we just head back the way we came?" Dawnpaw turned to Thrushpaw, who was surprised that the older apprentice was consulting her for directions. "I guess so," Thrushpaw responded, a little too unsurely. She turned and padded back to the narrow hole in the wall. She tried to thrust her shoulders into it, but she couldn't fit.

"I can't fit," Thrushpaw told the group of cats behind her, who had fallen silent.

"Oh! Are you looking for a way out of here?" Sky asked, bounding over to Thrushpaw. She flicked her tail to the right towards a hole in the wall. "I can lead you out, of you want."

"How do you know the way out?" Thrushpaw asked. "Have you gotten out of the cave before?"

"No." Sky shrugged, darting to the tunnel she'd pointed to. "I just know."

Thrushpaw, puzzled, beckoned her friends with her tail and stepped into the tunnel after Sky. "Be careful," Thrushpaw breathed, crouching down low to be able to squirm through the tunnel. "Make sure you know where you're going."

"I know, I know!" Sky snapped.

"How far away is the exit?"

"Not too far."

"How far away is 'not too far'?"

"Just trust me, okay?" Sky hissed, turning over her shoulder to glare at Thrushpaw. "I know what I am doing."

"But how, if you've never even gotten out of here? And if you've known how to get out all along, why didn't you escape sooner?" Thrushpaw was beginning to get frustrated with these little kits. She couldn't believe that she'd come all the way from the lake just to find a couple of kits.

"Just be quiet and let me think." Sky waved her tail in Thrushpaw's face. The golden-brown she-cat scowled at the kit, but continued following her. She heard Beetlepaw mumble from somewhere behind her, "Are we there yet?"

"Yes," Sky called back, bursting out of the tunnels. Thrushpaw blinked in the sudden sunlight and gazed around as her companions followed her out. All she could see was grass; very short, thin, rough grass.

"Where are we?" Lightpaw murmured, pressing against Thrushpaw.

"Don't worry." Stonepaw padded over to Lightpaw and touched her flank with his tail-tip. "We'll find a way back in no time."

Thrushpaw glanced at her sister, bewildered. Why was Stonepaw acting so friendly with Lightpaw? He was a ShadowClan cat, and she was a ThunderClan cat! Their Clans were complete enemies. She eyed the dark gray tabby as he purred in amusement at something Lightpaw said. What was going on between them? Thrushpaw glanced over at Ashenpaw; the black tom was sharing tongues with Thistlepaw.

Was everyone around her falling in love with the wrong cats?

**Gasp! Thrushpaw is onto them! I'll try to update as soon as I can (although, that's what I said last time and look how long it took me to update this chapter...)**

**-The Unheard Song-**


End file.
